


To Lure a Chocobo

by dragonbornette



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Big Fish Dick Energy, Chocobros - Freeform, Explicit Sexual Content, Gladnis, IgNoct, Ignis has Big Fish Dick Thirst, Ignis is a dom, Interspecies, Interspecies Sex, M/M, OT4, Other tags to be added, Overstimulation, Polyship Roadtrip, Praise Kink, Promptis - Freeform, Size Difference, Water Sex, gladnoct - Freeform, mermaid au, promptio, rough-ish sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2020-09-28 22:03:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20433182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonbornette/pseuds/dragonbornette
Summary: All Noctis wants to do on this road trip is fish and forget about his troubles, but when he sees the chance to land a big catch and goes after it, he never expects to land amerman.Inspired, as always, by @thwippernapple.





	1. Chapter 1

“Iggy, I’m _bored_.”

“May I remind you it was your decision to sit alone in the backseat?”

“I don’t _fit_ in the front.”

“Then, stop complaining and read your book.”

“I finished it already.”

Ignis sighs. “Gladio, I expect this sort of behavior from Noct, not you.”

Gladio leans forward from the backseat and looks at the sleeping prince. “Well, let’s stop somewhere soon and wake him up or _somethin’_,” he insists. “It’s not like we have anywhere to be.” He sits up and looks around. “Where _are_ we anyway?”

“Bored with nothing to do and you cannot pay attention to where we are?” Ignis chides before sighing again. “One of His Highness’s favorite fishing spots is close with a haven nearby. He will not be pleased about camping, but I suppose we could stop to fish and get a stretch if it will shut you up.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it, Iggy?”

“Please sit back in your seat, Gladio.”

Rolling his eyes, Gladio sits back, legs spread, arms encompassing practically the entire width of the backseat. It was only day one of their road trip out of Insomnia for however long they felt – to get in the sights, to let Noctis have some time off, to spend time together – but Noctis fell asleep barely twenty minutes out of the city and Gladio finished his first book and had left the rest in the trunk.

That was a few hours ago. He was bored, Ignis wasn’t really being very chatty, and he was starting to get stir crazy.

Twenty minutes later, Ignis turns down a side road, the jolt stirring the prince enough to blink awake and look around in confusion. “Huh?” he asks, rubbing one eye before he squints in recognition and sits up a bit. “…Why are we _here_?”

“Gladio is bored already,” Ignis explains with a frown. “So, I figure if we are to stop, might as well be here. The haven is close enough, Gladio can busy himself with the equipment, and you can fish while I cook.”

“Ugh, camping,” Noctis whines, dropping his head back against the seat. “Didn’t we bring enough money for hotels and caravans?”

Ignis gives the prince a look as he slows the _Regalia._ “We are not wasting all our money on those,” he corrects, bringing the car to a stop in the shade. “We are to evenly distribute it among food and necessities, shopping, _and_ places to rest.”

Sighing, Noctis just shrugs and gets out of the car, still grumpy and sleepy from his nap as he shuffles off to the dock to start fishing. Ignis watches him go, restraining yet another sigh as he and Gladio are left to set up alone.

As he walks down the steps and along the wooden dock, Noctis sighs to himself and tries to remember why he likes this place. It’s a nice cove that connects to the sea if you follow the river – a nice collection of fish that he hasn’t seen in the other places he’s visited. It’s an undiscovered little gem out in the middle of nowhere and it makes him happy.

It brings him peace.

Noctis’s thoughts drift as he summons his pole from the Armiger and sets up the line and bait. It’s time to re-spool it anyway from the last time he finished, but he enjoys even this little bit of work. He knows what he’s doing and he likes that.

After he’s finished with the new line, Noctis rises back up to his feet and casts in a spot he thinks will bring him some luck. He doesn’t even have to wait all that long for a bite, the familiar tug on the line, and he’s reeling in a fairly sized bass. He turns to call for Ignis, only to find the Adviser behind him, smiling expectantly as he sets down Noctis’s fish cooler.

“Good catch,” he congratulates, stealing a soft kiss before he turns to head back up the steps – past Gladio, who’s leaning on the fence watching Noctis. He nods to the prince before walking back with Ignis to the haven.

Shoulders slumping, Noctis turns back to the cove and hesitates before he casts his line again, thinking about how he should probably be helping but he just… He never expected a road trip to really fix things – he and Ignis had been drifting apart, Gladio and he had always butted heads despite Gladio’s duty as Shield – a road trip might give them some memories, but it wouldn’t magically make them friends.

But three fish later, two gars and another bass, and Noctis decides maybe he should go help after all. Yet, he turns around and finds both Ignis and Gladio watching from the fence, Ignis offering a smile as he sips a cup of coffee.

“Don’t overdo it, darling,” the fair-haired man calls from where he’s standing. “We’ll be eating fish for days.”

“You and I both know we can save them for later,” Noctis calls back with a smile. “I haven’t even gotten started!” He looks back at the cove and adds under his breath, “I know there’s a big one here somewhere.”

Unfortunately, it’s like the fish heard them and Noctis doesn’t get too many bites after that – he calls it quits when his stomach starts growling and the sun starts to set. He sends the pole back to the Armiger and bends down to get the cooler before movement in the water grabs his attention. He straightens and looks just as something big disappears beneath the surface.

“I _knew_ it.”

* * *

Ignis cooks an amazing dinner with some of Noctis’s fish and they eat outside under the starlight while Noctis stares up at the sky and Gladio and Ignis make small talk. Noctis isn’t really listening but hears Gladio compliment the fish and it makes him think about the big one he saw.

“I think there’s something big in the cove,” he speaks up, quieting both his companions.

“Oh?” Ignis asks, uncrossing his legs as he turns to face Noctis.

“Yeah, caught a glimpse of it as I was wrapping up,” the prince confirms with a smile and a nod, feeling excited about the prospect of a big catch. “Couldn’t tell what it was though, so I’m not sure about what lure to use, but I’ll try a few.”

“Do let us know,” Ignis says with a smile and a nod. “I would love to be present.”

“Yeah,” Gladio confirms. “Haven’t seen you reel in a big one in a while, might need some help.” He grins as Noctis scowls, but the prince looks back at Ignis.

“You’re okay with staying long enough for me to try?”

Ignis looks to Gladio for confirmation. “It’s fine by me,” he replies. “I am certain there are other things we can do to pass the time in addition to fishing.”

A look overcomes Noctis’s face and he smirks. “Oh yeah?” he asks, leaning towards the Adviser. “Such as…?”

“Hikin’,” Gladio speaks up with a smirk of his own.

“Oh yes,” Ignis agrees with a smile, turning from Noctis to nod at Gladio. “A hike sounds splendid.”

Noctis glares at both of them and gets up with a frown. “You guys suck,” he huffs, walking off to put his plate up before he feels someone come up behind him.

“Now, now, Noct,” Ignis says softly in his ear, and hands find his hips and caress softly. “You walked right into that one.”

“It was mean,” Noctis pouts, hoping he’s being convincing. “It’s not fair when you both gang up on me.”

Ignis turns the prince around in his arms and cups his face in gloved hands. “Oh, my poor prince,” he laments and the drama he displays as he plays along with Noctis makes the prince fight off a laugh. “However can I make this up to you?”

Noctis leans in closer, their lips hovering inches apart. “You know how…”

“Ah yes…” Ignis replies, lifting his eyebrows in realization. “By waking you up extra early in the morning for our hike.” He pulls away sharply and Noctis nearly falls over from the Adviser’s sudden disappearance.

Gladio howls with laughter and even Ignis is struggling to maintain his usually solid poker face as Noctis looks between them, stunned. Eventually, Ignis dissolves into soft huffs of laughter and Gladio’s wiping his eyes, crying.

Noctis scowls and stalks off into the tent, and Ignis sobers up with a frown. “Oh dear,” he breathes, sharing a gaze with Gladio before he decides to go after the prince and make sure everything’s okay.

He doesn’t expect the assault the second he slips through the flaps, lips affixing themselves to his own as he’s tugged back onto one of the cots. It takes him a moment to realize he’s been played, but he’s smiling as Gladio zips the tent up behind them for privacy and cleans up the remnants of dinner.

* * *

Morning breaks to the sound of a pack of voretooths nearby. Ignis peels himself away from a sleeping Noctis to dress in sweatpants and a t-shirt and join Gladio outside as they watch the monsters charge by after some unseen prey.

“Hm,” Ignis muses. “I suppose we’ll have to watch our step if we are to hike today.”

Gladio nods, arms crossed. “Wonder if there’s a hunt out for those,” he says. “Seem awfully big.”

They share a glance and Ignis glances back toward the tent. “I am uncertain if he will be up for something like that,” he says. “We are, after all, on an unofficial vacation with this road trip. Hunting is…”

“…Work,” Gladio finishes with a nod. “We don’t have to, just suggestin’ it.” He looks back at the tent as well. “Just like the hike, you know.”

Ignis sighs with a nod. “Yes,” he concedes. “…I have no desire to force him to do anything he doesn’t wish to do, even if it would be nice.” He touches Gladio’s arm and turns back towards the tent to start coffee and breakfast.

Eventually, the smell of bacon lures Noctis from out of the tent, and he doesn’t seem to care it’s as early as it is as he plops into one of the folding chairs, a sleep rumpled prince wrapped in a blanket with sex-mussed hair.

Gladio walks over to join him but doesn’t dare disturb Noctis until he’s fully awake. He learned his lesson the hard way – only Ignis is allowed to disturb a freshly-woken Noctis. Sure enough, the Adviser walks over with a plate of food and hands it to the prince, but not before he steals a kiss and runs a hand through the hair he messed up the night before. Noctis straightens a little after the kiss, chasing it even after Ignis pulls away before he sits back and digs in on his helping of bacon.

After a few minutes, he blinks at Gladio once Ignis brings the Shield a plate and then sits down himself.

“So, uh, are we hiking?”

Both sets of eyes go to the prince in stunned surprise as he swallows another bite of bacon.

“We, uh, didn’t think you really wanted to,” Gladio says, glancing at Ignis.

“Yeah well,” Noctis shrugs and sniffs. “I figured it could be fun. I don’t want to go too far, I’d like to fish again, get an earlier start than I did yesterday.” He glances from Gladio to Ignis. “…That okay?”

“I don’t see why not,” Ignis says with a soft smile, glancing to Gladio who nods.

They finish up breakfast and get cleaned up, trekking beyond the cove to the running water of the river to bathe before heading back to camp and gathering their things for the hike. After a quick discussion, they leave the haven and up a path Gladio found yesterday. Beyond the haven, the terrain grows slightly hilly and is covered in tall grasses with the occasional outcropping of rock. The path curves around one hill before turning back towards the river and following it.

It’s a beautiful day and the weather is _perfect_, and Noctis starts to feel good about deciding to go on the hike. At one point, Ignis ventures a few steps away and gasps in surprise when he finds a rare herb he can use in his cooking and the purity of his excitement makes even Gladio smile.

So when they venture back to camp after about an hour, Noctis starts to think maybe going on another hike somewhere else wouldn’t be such a bad idea. They’re even laughing and joking a little as they round the hill, while Ignis takes a look at the herb a final time before putting it back up.

“I must save it for something special,” he insists as Noctis grabs his pole and offers a smile.

“Will it go with fish?”

Ignis returns the smile and touches Noctis’s cheek. “Of course,” he says. “Maybe something special will happen on our trip, mm?”

Noctis tilts his head into the touch and nods, meaning it. He doesn’t want this trip to be uneventful, or fail to bring them closer together. He hopes, more than anything, that it saves them.

Turning away, Noctis heads down to the dock with Gladio carrying his fish cooler. He thanks the other man but doesn’t expect Gladio to pop one of the folding chairs out and camp out behind him with a book.

They share a smile before movement from further up the dock grabs Noctis’s attention and he smiles when he sees Ignis carrying a chair out to join them. 

“You guys sure?” he asks, glancing between them both as if he doesn’t expect them to really want to watch him fish.

“Of course, darling,” Ignis assures as he sits next to Gladio. “You joined us on a hike, so it’s only courteous to watch you fish.” He pauses. “Which I am more than happy to do.” He sits down as elegantly in the folding chair as he can manage, crossing his legs as he begins to apply sunscreen and Noctis can only smile.

The prince turns back to the pond and readies his best lure – he’s gonna catch this sucker.

Thirty minutes, five basses, and three bluegills later, Noctis sighs and changes his lure for a cactuar, only to have less luck with that. He goes through several lures with mixed luck before he decides to try the Chocobo lure – the one that _actually_ looks like a Chocobo – thinking that maybe it’ll bring him the stroke of luck he needs.

He highly doubts it but he doesn’t have much to lose.

Re-spooling his pole, Noctis sets the lure and casts his line before he decides to sit down on the dock with a sigh. “Sorry guys,” he thinks to apologize, “was hoping this would be more exciting.”

“It’s rather peaceful,” Ignis assures with a smile from behind.

“Yeah, nice and quiet for me to read,” Gladio chimes.

Noctis smiles to himself and jerks the line a little before a sharp tug has him glancing up in surprise. He reels the line in just a bit before the tug happens again and it’s firm. Gasping, the prince jerks to his feet and grips the pole tight.

“I think I got him!” he exclaims, bracing himself when the line goes turn and turning the pole to ease the tension. “Yeah! It’s _huge_!”

Another tug nearly has him falling forward before strong arms grab him and he looks up at Gladio in surprise before a fierce determination overcomes him and he lets his instincts come into play. He turns the rod, reels in carefully, lets Gladio’s hold on him take the concern of falling out of the picture so he can concentrate.

Minute after agonizing minute passes as Noctis expertly works the fishing line, and it feels like an eternity before he sees the bulk of the fish glimpse at him from under the water. He gasps in shock at the size alone and a firm jerk from the creature nearly tugs in both him _and _Gladio before Ignis steps in to brace the prince as well.

“Almost there,” Noctis grits out, wiping his brow on his jacket sleeve as he leans back into Gladio for move leverage.

“How’s your line?”

“It’s fine.”

A quick glance at the line says he’s only got about half the life of the line left before it snaps and he glances down at the rippling water beneath him, wondering if he’s going to manage this after all.

Suddenly, the giant fish breaches the surface of the water and all eyes go to the sight, only to be met with a pair of wild blue-violet eyes staring back at them. The hook is caught in the bloody lip of the freckled blond and before any of them can _think_ to process the sight of what they’re looking at, a firm tug on the line yanks Noctis clean from their grip and into the water.

“_NOCT!_” Gladio and Ignis shout in unison as pole, prince, and peculiar creature disappear beneath the surface.

Ignis starts undressing furiously to dive in after Noctis, but the prince never surfaces and the water goes still. It’s clear that the creature is no longer there.

And neither is Noctis.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enter prompto.  
ignis and gladio freak out.  
prompto and noctis hatch a plan.
> 
> Credits for a lot of the ideas in this chapter go to @thwippersnapple.

Noctis’s world turns dark and wet. He doesn’t know which way is up and his lungs are starting to burn. Everything is spinning and the only solid thing is the grip on his wrist as he’s pulled somewhere he doesn’t know if he’ll come back from.

He never thinks to warp. Not even for a second.

Just when he thinks it’s over, he’s thrown up out of the water and onto the solid shore of the river. He wheezes as he catches his breath and sucks in precious air, rolling onto his side as he tries to make sense of what just happened. He fell in the water, there was no freckled blond and—

—Something grabs his shoulder and yanks him onto his back, and Noctis finds himself looking up into two beautiful blue-violet eyes, but they’re red and leaking tears. He blinks rapidly in confusion and surprise, trying to make sense of what he’s looking at. Wet blond hair sags limply around a freckled face, flush with fear and Noctis doesn’t know how he missed it before: the hook, _his_ hook and lure, pierced through the poor boy’s bloody lip.

Sitting up in alarm, Noctis reaches to help but freezes when he looks down. A pale, freckled torso is fine and all, before the skin transitions into a beautiful shimmering tail of green and blue scales, complete with a fin. His nails are long like claws, his two incisors just a _little_ pointy, but he’s otherwise normal from the waist up and Noctis can’t wrap his mind around what he’s seeing.

It’s a fucking mermaid. Mer_man_.

But apparently, he stares for too long because one clawed hand grabs him by the chin and grips hard.

“Get it out!” the blond shouts with a whimper and a sniffle. “Get it out, you land walker, get it _out_.”

Noctis struggles for a second, unable to help it – mermaid aside, the boy is _beautiful_ and this feels so unreal, he can’t help but wonder if he’s dreaming. Did he drown? Is this heaven?

A hand smacks his cheek and brings him back. “_GET IT OUT, IT HURTS.”_

“…It was _you_?” the prince breathes, stunned. “I was trying to catch something big, but I never thought…”

“You can catch Hank another time,” the merman all but sobs. “Please get it out.”

Realizing he’s been stuck in an enamored loop for a solid few minutes, Noctis snaps out of it and reaches for the hook. “Be still,” he instructs.

“Don’t try anything,” the blond hisses in warning, eyes narrowing to slits. “I will pull you back in the water so fast your head will spin then explode once I take you down so deep the pressure crushes it.”

Noctis stiffens for a moment before he gives a nod and carefully holds the merman’s lip as he removes the hook and lure as gently as he can.

It still makes the boy wince and whimper, but after several strenuous seconds, Noctis frees him from the lure and sets it down between them.

Regardless of the relief, the merman touches his lip and sniffles. “What am I going to do about this?”

“Here,” Noctis says, reaching into the Armiger and extracting a potion. “…Uh, may I?”

The creature eyes the potion with a quiet hiss, eyes narrowing again. “What is it?”

“A potion,” the prince explains. “It’ll fix your lip, I promise.”

Blue-violet eyes watch him carefully before he gives a quick nod and braces himself. Noctis gently shatters the potion against his face, startling the poor blond but he touches his lip, which has healed, and gasps softly.

“Oh…” he breathes in amazement, glancing up at Noctis before down at the abandoned Chocobo lure between them. “I get to keep this.” He snatches it up and eyes it before he looks back up at Noctis. “_It attacked my face_.”

“Uh…” the prince blinks several times. “…Sure?”

Pleased, the merman holds the Chocobo lure close to his chest, eyes shifting back and forth. “I wasn’t trying to steal it or anything.”

“Of course not.”

As if aware Noctis is only playing along, the creature’s eyes narrow. “A trade then,” he says before he slides back into the water rather quickly and disappears from sight.

Noctis sits up, blinking and shivering a little, thinking the merman lied to get away with the Chocobo lure, before suddenly, the blond emerges from the water, whips the hair out of his face, and hands Noctis something.

It’s a dubloon, and an _old_ one at that. Looking at it right away, Noctis doesn’t need Ignis there to tell him this is worth a lot of money. He gawks down in surprise and then looks up at the merman.

“We don’t have need for that stuff,” the blond says casually, looking down at the lure. “So you can have that!” He pets the Chocobo with a smile before he looks up. “Question!”

Noctis jerks in surprise as he pockets the dubloon. “Yeah?”

“…Do chocobos really look like this?”

Laughing, the prince shakes his head. “Bigger.”

Frowning, the merman looks at Noctis, lips pursed. “No shit,” he says, surprising the prince. “I mean, how big? What are they like? What do they do?”

Noctis finds himself smiling at the question and shrugs. “Way taller than me,” he says, smiling when the merman’s eyes widen. “You ride them. They’re really sweet, but can pretty much kill you if they kick you.”

The merman looks down at the Chocobo in his hands, biting his lip before wincing – it’s still a little tender. “…I wish we had water chocobos,” he mutters before sighing. “Fucking dolphins are just assholes.” He perks up at a thought. “Do _you_ have a chocobo?”

“Uh, yeah, kinda?”

A gasp. “Could you ride it out here someday?” The merman leans in, eyes sparkling. “I’ll bring you more of those shiny things!”

“Uh, okay.” Noctis smiles and nods, feeling relieved – to his surprise – that this encounter won’t end today. “I’m…Noctis.” He offers his hand.

The creature looks down in confusion. “…What are you doing?”

“…Uh, humans shake hands when they meet for the first time?”

“Oh!” The merman grabs his hand and shakes it hard, jostling the prince. “I’m Prompto!”

“So, um, do you show yourself to humans often?” Noctis asks curiously after Prompto releases his hand.

“Only ones that use pointy things to pierce my lip,” Prompto huffs in reply, pouting before he eventually sighs and dismisses it. “Honestly, we have a secret.”

“A secret?”

Prompto nods and studies Noctis for a moment as if gauging whether or not he should tell the other man his secret before he gives in and closes his eyes. His body begins to glow softly, encompassing all of his tail before the light fades and Prompto is…

“…_human_?”

Prompto opens his eyes with a soft blush before he nods and tries to get up. “We can do this anytime we please,” he explains, “but we are above using legs to get around. Merpeople are superior.” He sniffs dismissively as he struggles to get to his feet.

Noctis almost doesn’t even realize the beautiful boy is naked until he gets a full view of an erect dick that has him looking away with a furious blush.

Glancing down in confusion at Noctis’s reaction, Prompto giggles and staggers unevenly on his legs like a drunk. “Oh, that’s right,” he says with a laugh. “Humans can’t hide this, huh?”

Noctis clears his throat and shakes his head, jerking in surprise when Prompto falls to his knees beside him.

“I’m bigger in merform,” the blond breathes in the prince’s ear and a soft flash of light tells Noctis that Prompto is in merman form again. “Come in the water, Noctis. I’ll take _good_ care of you.”

Noctis squirms and swallows thickly. He hates that he wants this, hates that he wants to know what a merdick is like. Hates that it took barely anything to set his thoughts down that path. He glances at Prompto and looks over him, but doesn’t see a dick anywhere in that tail.

The confused glance-over makes Prompto grin, his little fangs shining in the afternoon sun. He reaches down and gently rubs a spot in the area Noctis would imagine to be his groin, and the prince jumps as a flap lifts and a dick larger than Gladio’s emerges from within – greenish-blue and glistening.

“Like what you see?” Prompto whispers, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Noctis’s wet neck. “I do.”

Noctis finds himself nodding before he jerks away and shakes his head. “I can’t,” he protests softly, weakly, mainly because he’s fighting not to give in – like Prompto was putting a spell on him. “T-the people I was with, I’m…_with_ them.”

“Oh,” Prompto murmurs, slumping a little in disappointment. “You have mates.”

Immediately, Noctis hates that he not only hooked this beautiful creature by the lip, but had to let him down because he couldn’t fuck him or be fucked _by_ him. Yet something about the blond’s demeanor gives him pause.

“Prompto, are you…” he braves to ask at the sudden thought occurring to him. “…Are you alone?”

The question startles the merman and those blue-violet eyes look up at Noctis before he tears his gaze away and nods wordlessly in response. "I have no family or mates," he whispers after a moment of silence has passed between them. "...I am alone."

* * *

“How on _Eos_ did you let that fish daemon kidnap the prince?” Ignis hisses as they scour the pond to no avail. They’d been searching for several minutes but the prince and creature had _vanished_, so now they were taking their search downriver.

“_ME?”_ Gladio bellows in rage. “You were holdin’ him too!”

Ignis sniffs through his nose but doesn’t reply, refusing to even look at Gladio as they search in vain for their prince. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to find him – he doesn’t know what they saw, he doesn’t _understand_.

What sort of creature was it? It couldn’t have been a daemon, it was _daytime_.

Yet, with weapons drawn and hearts worried, Ignis and Gladio desperately search the river for some sign, any sign of their prince.

But there’s nothing.

They go a full mile before the river starts to bend and Gladio is fixing to say maybe they should call the king when Ignis catches sight of something further downriver and bolts past Gladio before he can speak. The Shield rushes after the other man, trying to catch up to Ignis’s lengthy strides before he sees the two bodies on the riverbank up ahead.

“_Noct!_” Ignis shouts in recognition, sprinting faster as they close in.

Ignis skids to a halt at the sight he’s met with – a naked blond is on top of Noctis, kissing him excitedly and deeply. Noctis looks pinned to the ground, surprised, but not exactly rushing to get the strange boy off him.

It isn’t until Gladio catches up with a “what the fuck?” that the blond jerks off Noctis in surprise and blushes.

“Uh, hi guys,” he says as Noctis blushes as well and hastily takes off his jacket to cover Prompto’s nudity with.

“…Noctis, what on _Eos_ is going on?” Ignis asks, staring at the freckled naked blond in confusion.

“Guys, this is Prompto,” Noctis tries to explain as smoothly as he can manage. “He was swimming in the pond when my lure accidentally caught his lip, it scared him, we struggled, and he pulled me in.”

Ignis and Gladio can only stare in disbelief as their gazes shift to Prompto.

“I panicked,” the blond admits with an embarrassed blush, rubbing the back of his head as he looks down. “I’m a really good swimmer, and I just wanted to get out of there. There’s a really swift undercurrent once you get out of the pond…” He trails off, flushing.

“Why are you _naked_?” Ignis asks.

“Training, buddy!” Prompto exclaims like it’s obvious before he calms down. “I’m sorry I scared you. I was just scared… Noctis helped me with the hook and a potion. I was, um, thanking him when you showed up.” He laughs nervously.

Gladio and Ignis exchange glances but they look over Prompto and he’s clearly human. There’s nothing _fishy_ about him despite their instincts telling them something isn’t completely right here, so they have to accept what they’re being told.

“Well,” Ignis says, clearing his throat as he tries to adjust. “I suppose it’s all well and good everyone is alright.” He helps both boys to their feet but no one really expects Prompto to wobble so much.

Gladio ends up being the one to catch the blond when he topples over and even he’s blushing at the way he has to support the naked (although now covered) kid in his arms. “Hey, you okay?” he asks as blue-violet eyes look up at him.

“Y-yeah!” Prompto says with a blush of his own. “G-guess I’m just a little woozy or something from the blood loss?” It’s a bad lie and they all know it, they just don’t know _why_.

“You’re fuckin’ cold,” Gladio says, touching the other’s face. “We need to get you dried off and in some warm clothes before you get sick.” He looks up at Ignis as if making sure that’s okay, only to find Noctis scooped up in his arms.

“The same goes for the prince, I’m afraid,” the Adviser says with a shake of his head. “Back to camp, quickly.”

They run back to camp as fast as they can manage. Ignis usually prides himself on how fast he could run a mile, but with the full weight of a person in his arms, it slows him up considerably. Gladio charges on past him, and by the time he catches up to them at the haven, Prompto is buried in blankets as Gladio starts a fire.

Panting, Ignis sets Noctis down and orders him to strip, taking the wet clothes to hang later, but not before he points to the blankets for Noctis to get under as well. He blinks in surprise when Prompto clings to him, but he smiles after a moment and turns to face him.

“…Think they fell for it?” the blond whispers nervously, glancing over Noctis to where Ignis is cooking something warm for them all to eat. He watches Gladio walk over to Ignis, talking to him quietly and giving the two youths a change to conspire.

“They know something’s up, so we have to be careful,” Noctis replies, shifting closer for warmth. “Are you gonna be okay out of the water?”

Prompto nods with excitement. “Yeah!” he says. “It’s not like those dumb stories at all. It’s magic.” He smiles reassuringly. “Just keep me hydrated, honestly.”

Noctis nods before he bites his lip in concern. “Can you really not walk?” he asks after a moment.

Blushing, Prompto lowers his head and clears his throat. “Two legs are inferior to a tail,” he comments under his breath and Noctis drops his head to the ground with a sigh of exasperation.

“That one’s gonna be hard to explain,” he says.

“I don’t think they’re gonna let me come, dude,” Prompto admits after a few moments. “It’s too sudden and random, and they know something’s up.”

“You’re not going anywhere until we get you to a chocobo,” Noctis promises with a smile, finding Prompto’s hand under the blankets and giving it a squeeze.

“Dude, that’s…not my hand.”

Noctis jerks back his hand with a soft yelp and Prompto bursts out laughing, earning them a look from both Ignis and Gladio but they don’t pay the others any mind. The blond shifts closer to Noctis under the blankets, eyes serious and intense.

“Thank you.”

Noctis blinks and tilts his head. “For what?”

“For trying to help,” Prompto replies. “…I mean, there’s not a whole lot stopping me from doing things myself, but…” He trails off and looks away. “…I’d be doing it alone.”

Smiling, Noctis finds Prompto’s hand this time and counts fingers before he squeezes it. “No problem.”

Across the fire, Gladio watches Noctis and Prompto warm up under the blankets and shakes his head. “I feel like we’re definitely missin’ something here,” he comments, glancing over at Ignis while the other man makes soup.

“Oh, we most certainly are,” the Adviser confirms with a nod before he sighs and adjusts his glasses. “I just cannot figure out what.” He looks at Gladio, eyes serious. “We both know what we saw, but…this Prompto seems to be perfectly normal.”

“We both know what we _wanted_ to see,” Gladio corrects, surprising Ignis. “We expected a fish, so we saw a fish, yeah?” He shrugs and looks back at the prince with his new friend. “But the story and the kissin’, just…don’t add up.”

Ignis nods his agreement and stirs the soup. “I sense nothing…untoward about this Prompto,” he admits softly, “but I just cannot figure out what the end game is here.”

“Should we just go with it?” Gladio asks, turning back toward Ignis. “Until we get a clearer picture of what we’re dealin’ with?”

Sighing, Ignis thinks for a moment, glancing back at Noctis before he turns back to his cooking. “For all we know, this could be nothing,” he says as he stirs the soup again. “We are the ones, after all, who brought Prompto back to our camp. He never asked to come.”

Gladio frowns and looks away. “Oh, right…”

“But,” Ignis continues, turning away from the soup to let it simmer. “Should that turn out _not_ to be the case, we best be on guard. Even if this Prompto has a secret, it could be none of our business.”

Hearing more giggling, both Ignis and Gladio look back over at the blankets where Prompto has disappeared under them and Noctis is squirming.

“Just what we need,” Gladio says with a huff and a laugh. “Another horny kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was a little distracted during this chapter so i struggled a bit lining everything out. i hope it's alright <3
> 
> That being said, comments are extremely appreciated; they’d help make me feel better about future chapters ❤️


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ignis has a bit of a problem.  
prompto has a bit of a problem.  
doubloons solve everything?

Ignis didn’t mean to feel jealous, but he did.

First, it was the kissing on the bank, then the giggling and fooling around under the blankets. What would happen next?

In Noctis’s defense, their relationship, for the most part, _is _an open one, but Ignis had always considered that to be between the three of them. Not other people, most certainly not a stranger.

Ignis chops the onions he’s cutting for breakfast a little too roughly and nearly drops his knife as a result, cursing under his breath as he pauses for a moment and lets out a sigh. He normally isn’t like this, but even he couldn’t ignore the problems he and Noctis were having. Even he knew they’d been drifting apart.

So, no, Ignis wouldn’t lie – he wouldn’t say yesterday hadn’t bothered him a little because it had and it did and he had no idea who this Prompto was, but he had to go.

As he finishes making breakfast, the smell lures Gladio out from within the tent. He stretches and glances at the prince and his new friend under the blankets, lifting an eyebrow before he continues over to Ignis and reaches for the coffee.

“Smells good, Iggy,” he compliments with a yawn as he pours himself a cup.

Ignis only nods and fixes a plate for the other man, but his silence earns another raised brow from Gladio, who leans against the grill and clears his throat.

“Jealousy’s an ugly color on you, Iggy,” he comments before taking a sip.

“_I am not jealous_,” Ignis hisses a little too quickly in reply before he turns away with a soft huff and then sighs.

To his surprise, thick arms enclose around him and Gladio presses close from behind. “Didn’t peg you for the jealous type,” the big guy murmurs in Ignis’s ear as Ignis reaches to hold on to Gladio’s arms. “What are you so worried about?”

Ignis turns his head to eye Gladio and scoffs as he pulls away to face the other man. “Don’t be daft, Gladio,” he says with a frown. “Noctis never used to look past me, or you.” He hesitates to continue and lowers his gaze as Gladio reaches for his coffee. “What if he decides he wants something…or _someone_ else?”

Gladio pauses mid-sip before he sighs and sets his cup back down, tugging Ignis close by a belt loop. “Iggy, I feel like I shouldn’t be the one remindin’ you how much of a wary, reserved guy Noctis can be,” he replies, glancing at the two heads barely poking out from under the blanket. “If he likes this Prompto kid, I think we oughta give him a chance. Who knows? Kid might go back to where he came from and you got all worked up for nothin’.”

Ignis lets out a breath and nods, knowing he’s out of sorts if Gladio’s the one talking him down. He lets the other man kiss him and relaxes a bit as Gladio pulls away and grabs his plate. After preparing three more plates, Ignis readies himself and goes over to wake Noctis and Prompto up, expecting resistance from the prince as usual, but when he tugs the blanket down gently to expose Prompto’s face, it almost embarrasses him how quickly his heart softens at the sight.

Freckles, sun-kissed skin, soft lashes, supple lips parted just slightly, Ignis blushes and turns away – _now_, he gets it. He clears his throat softly – as Gladio smirks behind him – and gently reaches to shake Prompto awake.

Not one to be startled, Ignis jerks in surprise when Prompto wakes with a hiss and Ignis is even convinced the kid’s hair _rises_ like an animal’s, but when those blue-violet eyes fall on Ignis, Prompto relaxes almost instantly and smiles up at the other man.

“Hi!”

Ignis is at a loss for words as Gladio fails to restrain a laugh and Prompto can only blink between the two men curiously, innocence honed to a fine art in his expression.

“Morning,” Ignis finally manages with a swallow. “Time to get up, I’m afraid. But I’ve made breakfast.”

“Oh,” Prompto says, stretching and sitting up with a slight wobble. “I could’ve just caught my own.”

“Fish for breakfast?” Ignis asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah?” the blond replies like it’s obvious. “What else do you eat?”

Ignis doesn’t reply, still confused as he rises to his feet and fetches a plate for the youth, returning a moment later and handing it to Prompto. “Here.”

Prompto takes the plate and frowns. “It’s…_warm_.”

Ignis can’t help looking over his shoulder to Gladio at those words and even the big guy has to shrug in confusion at that one. There is definitely something _peculiar_ about the blond, but neither one of them has even an inkling about where to start.

Just as Prompto tries a bite of eggs, Noctis stirs beside him and jumps when the blond squeals in delight at the explosion of flavor in his mouth.

“_Ohhhh_!” he exclaims, the noise just a _bit_ too suggestive for all three men around him. “I didn’t know cooked food could taste this good!”

“And those are just his eggs,” Gladio comments with a smirk as Ignis huffs and goes around to the other side of the blanket to tend to Noctis.

“Wake up, darling, breakfast is ready.”

Prompto glances over at them but quickly looks away when he sees how tenderly Ignis touches Noctis’s face in soft greeting – a change that Gladio does not miss. He also doesn’t miss the way Prompto eats the eggs like he’s never eaten any before in his life, it’s almost hard to explain. But then it occurs to Gladio it’s not the food, it’s the utensil.

And a part of him wonders if maybe Prompto is homeless, or lives on the streets. Would that make sense? Would that explain the weird behavior and missing information? Is that what Noctis and Prompto have been hiding?

By now, Ignis has brought Noctis a plate and finally makes one for himself, sitting beside Gladio as a silence falls among them while they all eat. Although Prompto’s demeanor had changed and turned somewhat glum, he still manages to be the first one to finish. He offers his empty plate to Ignis before abruptly rising to his feet and exposing his nudity to all, but not before he loses his balance and flails and once again, Gladio is the one to catch him.

They all get an eyeful of the youth’s pale freckled body, yet Prompto seems unconcerned with his current state of dress as he looks at them in confusion. “What?”

“You need some clothes,” Gladio points out, laughing dryly though he’s clearing his throat and looking away.

“Clothes?” Prompto blinks before he laughs in realization. “Oh, right.” He nods and gestures to Gladio’s leather attire. “Yeah, I don’t have any.”

“You _what_?” Ignis hisses before he can help himself.

“With him!” Noctis corrects hastily from where he’s sitting, meeting Prompto’s gaze when the blond looks to him. “He doesn’t have any clothes _with_ him. He can borrow some of mine.”

Gladio feels like he’s on the right track with his suspicions – homeless, or maybe Prompto lives in the wild like all those stories they’d hear about over the years. But the kid is _way_ too pale.

It’s another minute of awkward silence before they all realize Prompto’s still naked and Gladio’s still holding him and those leather pants aren’t hiding much anymore. Prompto turns at the weird touch and looks down, grinning up at Gladio and nodding.

“Admirable size.”

Noctis chokes on his breakfast at those words and things devolve into a state of chaos as Ignis rushes from his chair to slap the prince on the back while Gladio finally collects himself and drags Prompto into the tent to show Prompto where Noctis’s clothes are. He leaves the blond to dress himself and rushes out to make sure Noctis is okay, but Ignis has a handle on things.

But when Prompto doesn’t emerge from the tent for several minutes, Noctis realizes what’s wrong and gathers his blanket up around him, scurrying off inside to check on his new friend. He finds Prompto standing in front of the suitcase like a lost child and he almost smiles at the sight, dropping the blanket to help them both find something to wear.

The merman, however, finds the blanket-dropping alluring and turns to face the prince with a smirk on his face. “Oh, I see,” he purrs, staggering over to Noctis before scowling. “Legs are _inferior_.” He leans on the other boy and presses an eager kiss to his lips, rubbing against him with a sudden need as a hand covers Noctis’s dick and palms it expertly.

Gasping, Noctis squirms, letting out a whimper before he pushes Prompto away gently. “Prompto, _no_,” he breathes, panting softly in both arousal and alarm. “Not now.”

Frowning, Prompto’s shoulders slump and he pulls away. “Oh, right…_mates_.” He brings a hand up to rub his arm and turns away. “…So, um, these clothes?”

It takes Noctis a minute to calm down before he nods and steps forward to dig out some underwear – clean underwear – for each of them. “Have you, uh, even worn clothes before?”

Prompto sniffs dismissively and looks away. “We merpeople are not ashamed of our bodies,” he huffs. “We have no need for clothes.”

Sighing, Noctis thrusts a pair into Prompto’s hands and rises to his feet to pull his on. “Just say no like a normal person, Prom,” he says, shortening the blond’s name without meaning to, but Prompto only quirks his head and smiles a little. “Put ‘em on.”

Prompto watches Noctis before he moves to do the same and nearly falls over in the process before he’s grabbed and steadied by Noctis. He pulls on the underwear and immediately frowns as he squirms and adjusts himself in discomfort. “_Ugh_,” he whines. “_Why do you do this to yourselves?_ My _balls_.”

Noctis snickers but can only shake his head as he lets go of Prompto to dig for clothes and produces pants and shirts for both of them. “We’ll buy you some clothes in the next town,” he says. “I mean, if you want. You don’t have to wear them for long but it’ll get Ignis and Gladio off our backs until we get you to the chocobo ranch.”

Perking up at ‘chocobo’, Prompto nods emphatically and follows Noctis’s example and dresses like he’s shown. He has to be steadied several times before they’re done, and neither of them is sure how they’re going to explain his inability to walk, but they hope they’ll figure it out.

By the time they emerge from within the tent – Prompto taking tiny steps to try and look less wobbly – Gladio and Ignis have cleaned up and are talking a few feet away. They glance over, eyebrows raised before Ignis nods to Gladio and turns to face the prince.

“Noct, shall we discuss our plans going forward?” he asks, glancing at Prompto briefly. “I expect we won’t be remaining at this haven for much longer.”

Noctis frowns at that glances but takes Prompto’s hand. “I wanna go to the Chocobo ranch,” he states with a nod, smiling a little at the way Prompto’s face lights up. 

Gladio notices too but frowns, mainly in confusion. “Wiz’s?” he asks. “Why?”

“Because Prompto’s never seen a chocobo before.”

“_You’ve never seen a chocobo_?” Gladio exclaims.

Prompto blushes and puffs up, embarrassed. “So?”

“Exactly how long with Prompto be joining us?” Ignis asks, expression unreadable which makes Noctis frown.

“I dunno,” Noctis avoids, glancing at the blond next to him. “As long as he likes?”

Prompto nods but Ignis frowns. “Our budget does not allow for an extra person, Noct,” the Adviser reminds. “It barely accounts for the three of us, and that is _if_ we stick to havens.”

Noctis frowns more but Prompto realizes what’s going on and perks up. “Oh! I can help!”

Staggering, Prompto runs like a toddler down off the haven, stripping along the away and nearly tripping as he heads towards the pond. Naked, he dives into the pond with expert skill and leaves the three men behind in confused silence. A couple of minutes pass before he emerges and Noctis’s eyes widen as his scales come _slightly_ into view, but when he stumbles out of the water, he’s holding a large and heavy bag.

“I have more shiny things!”

Awkwardly, Noctis edges away from Ignis to go help Prompto before the merman gets himself into any more trouble by talking or doing something spontaneous like that again. But Ignis and Gladio follow, concerned and confused by what Prompto has. Before Noctis can reach him, Prompto trips and falls onto his knees, spilling the bag a little as gold doubloons scatter around him.

One rolls to Ignis’s boot and the Adviser bends down to pick it up, peering at it in confusion before he realizes what it is and gasps in surprise. “My word,” he breathes. “Where on earth did you get…” he trails off when he realizes how many have scattered and yet the bag is _still_ mostly full.

“I found a treasure chest!” Prompto exclaims, nodding. “There’s plenty more where that came from! Will this help?”

Once again, Ignis is speechless and Noctis looks up with a hopeful expression for his unspoken question. “Well, I…I suppose this helps,” he agrees with a nod. “To Wiz’s we go.”

Noctis and Prompto cheer from the ground before they’re pelted by the clothes Prompto stripped out of, thrown by a red-faced Gladio.

* * *

Although the decision is made to go to Wiz’s Chocobo Post, the foursome decides to stay one more night at the haven. They pack what they’re not going to use before they leave the next morning, but spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the pleasant day. Ignis cooks steaks for dinner, but not before Prompto misunderstood that the raw ones he found were not for eating and took a huge bite from one, much to Ignis’s horror.

“You were gonna _cook that_?” Prompto had exclaimed, stunned.

Later, he sits on the dock with Noctis, smiling a little as they dip their feet in the water and talk. Ignis and Gladio went to bed, after making the two youths _promise_ they wouldn’t stay up all night and would come in the tent soon.

It’s been silent for a few minutes before Prompto looks over at Noctis and smiles. “Um, thanks,” he manages. “Thanks for doing all this for me.”

Noctis smiles at the merman-turned-human beside him and nods. “No problem.”

“I hate to ask, but why?” Prompto presses, biting his lip where the hook had pierced him. “Why are you being so nice?”

Shrugging, the prince looks back out at the pond. “I don’t think anyone deserves to be or feel alone,” he answers as his gaze shifts back to Prompto in the moonlight, “and after what happened, I feel like you deserve a little kindness.”

Eyes shining as he looks at Noctis, Prompto leans in quickly and presses a kiss to Noctis’s lips, but it’s different from before. It’s soft and quick and desperate. He pulls back and lowers his head, shaking it.

“…I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “I know, you…you have mates, but…” He sniffs. “I wish you to be mine.”

The soft confession starts an ache in Noctis’s chest as he wraps his arms around the blond and pulls him close. There’s nothing saying they can’t be together, but he’s worried about this could do to what he already has with Ignis and Gladio. Honestly, a part of him wants Ignis and Gladio to like Prompto (and he knows to a point they already do), to keep him around, and Noct is surprised by how strongly he feels this.

He’s attracted to Prompto, attracted to the magic and reality of what he is – he’s strange and quirky and funny and Noctis wants to know more about him.

His mind is made up, he wants to try. He leans in and kisses Prompto softly, letting it deepen as his tongue slides in and tastes the merman. He swears he can taste the sea, and smiles into the kiss, surprised at how good Prompto is at it even though he did get a preview of this yesterday. Today, Noctis can enjoy it as he slides a hand up the blond locks and strokes.

He feels a hand on his thigh but pulls back from the kiss and shakes his head. “Slow down, Prom,” he encourages softly, reaching to touch the other boy’s face with a soft smile. “We have time.”

Prompto looks worried at first when he’s prevented from pleasuring Noctis, but he finds those blue eyes in the dark and can’t help smiling back, nodding in understanding. “Oh,” he breathes. “…Okay.”

They kiss for what feels like forever – until their jaws get tired and their lips feel raw. Prompto smiles at Noctis and rests his head on the prince’s shoulder, not even aware that he’s kissing a prince, but very much aware that he’s very lucky to have been caught by this boy.

Maybe it’s foolish of him to trust a human, maybe it’s a stupid idea to go see the chocobos, but Prompto feels happy and safe and doesn’t think he has to worry. He tilts his head up to look at Noctis again and snuggles close until they check the time and hurry back to the tent before Ignis yells at them for breaking their promise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3333 Honestly, I wanted Prompto and Noctis to do it already, but the muse has other ideas???
> 
> Big mermaid dicc smut coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> merdicc time.  
they leave for wiz's.  
and prompto finds a new passion.

When Noctis wakes up the next morning, he’s alone. At first, the shock that he’d managed to wake up before both Ignis and Gladio stuns him, but then he manages to come to terms with that and focus more on the fact that Prompto is gone.

The prince sits up in alarm and glances around, but the only sign of anything amiss is the tent flap, unzipped and fluttering with the slight breeze coming from outside. Noctis shivers, realizing he’s cold but he just pulls on a sweater and quietly pads outside, looking around in the early dawn light for the merman.

It only occurs to him then that maybe Prompto panicked and left. Maybe the strange sea creature decided this venture into the human world was too much. Or maybe he’d never planned to come along to begin with – that his only goal here was to seduce Noctis and drag him into the depths of the water, and he’d failed.

Frowning, Noctis turns and heads off the haven towards the pond, figuring it’s his best bet to find the blond, but when he reaches the dock, nothing is there.

“…Prom?” he calls to the still water, trying to keep his voice down at the same time so that he doesn’t alarm Ignis or Gladio.

But there’s no response.

Shoulders sagging, Noctis turns to head back up the dock and to the haven, feeling more downtrodden about Prompto leaving than he’d expected to be. He doesn’t understand why, and that’s the worst part.

But he only makes it halfway down the dock before there’s a splash and a gasp and he turns to see Prompto breaching the water, back in merform. His little fangs poke over his bottom lip as he smiles at the prince.

“Prompto!” Noctis exclaims in surprise, running back down the dock, relief surging through him. “I thought you’d left!”

“Why would I do that?” the merman asks in confusion, tilting his head. “Just wanted one last swim before we left.” He swims over to meet Noctis at the dock, pulling himself up and resting on his arms. “Is something wrong?”

Noctis drops to his knees, shaking his head. “No, I just…” He hesitates to say. “I just… I was worried you’d left us. I don’t know why, I just thought you’d gone, and that…” He trails off. “I was sad.”

Prompto’s expression grows unreadable, his little fangs biting his lower lip as he reaches with one webbed hand for the prince. “The water is my home,” he reminds as he takes one of Noctis’s hands and guides him closer. “I want to go with you and your mates, but alone or not, I’m still leaving my home.”

Understanding dawns on Noctis as he’s guided closer, kissing those soft blue-tinged lips once he’s pulled close enough. But when one of Prompto’s fangs prick his lip, Noctis pulls back in alarm when a tingling sensation follows and begins coursing through him.

Prompto draws back as well, eyes wide with concern. “Oh, shit, um…” he stammers. “…Noctis, um, you need to get in the water, like now.”

“What?” Noctis gasps in confusion feeling painfully hot all of a sudden. He starts pulling off his sweater and glances up at the worried merman, desire suddenly coursing through his veins at the sight of the blond. An uncomfortable sensation starts to grow and when he glances down, his pajama pants have tented with the erection he didn’t even know was there. “What the fuck?”

“I’m sorry,” Prompto whispers fearfully. “My fangs, have a venom. It’s for mating. We bite our mates, it’s like an aphrodisiac. Makes the sex so awesome. I forgot to warn you, I’m sorry. I…” He swallows. “Get in the water, Noct.”

By now, there’s something about Prompto’s voice that Noctis can no longer resist. He squirms out of his pajamas, erection searing hot against the cool breeze of early morning, and lets Prompto help him into the water. He thinks he should be cold, but the water is soothing and it feels right and as he’s enjoying the sensation, Prompto surges into a kiss with him and he melts into it.

A moment of clarity hits the prince amidst the drowning he’s feeling because of the venom. “W-we can’t,” he protests as Prompto guides him to the far side of the pond, against a rock that will hide them from sight.

“We have to,” Prompto replies and Noctis can feel the weight of his giant merdick against his thigh. “It’s the only way.” He kisses along the prince’s jaw, hips undulating against him. “I’ll take such good care of you.”

Those words go straight to Noctis’s cock, which twitches in the water as his pupil-blown eyes look at Prompto and he nods. “Take care of me.”

They kiss again, hot and wet and heavy. Noctis wraps his arms around Prompto and grinds back against his scaly body. This isn’t how he imagined their first time at _all_, but he’s so aroused and, shit, he feels practically high at this point, that he’s caring less and less the more the minutes pass. He’s worried though.

He remembers how big Prompto is. He can _feel_ it against his thigh now and as horny as it’s making him feel, the rational part of his mind still present is nervous. Will it fit? Will he walk funny for days and have to lie to Ignis and Gladio about why?

He doesn’t want to lie.

But when Prompto turns him around and presses him against the rock, the feeling of arousal surges. Noctis presses against the rock for the friction and gasps when Prompto slips a finger inside of him without preparing him. But to his shock, his body accepts the finger willingly. He bucks back into that clawed digit and feels Prompto smile against his neck.

“The venom,” the merman explains with a grin. “Loosens you up. And guess what?”

Noctis whines his reply.

“My dick is self-lubricating.”

The rational part of Noctis rears its head again. “Will it hurt?”

“Maybe later,” Prompto warns, biting his own lip, “but not now. The venom helps. I’ll, um, I’ll explain this all later. I can’t hold this back much longer.”

Noctis is worried, but he can’t fight what he’s feeling right now. The intoxication is growing, his body feels limp and painfully aroused. All he wants is that dick inside of him so he can scream to all of nature that he’s being fucked by this beautiful creature behind him. He _knows_ how insane that sounds, how crazy this all is, but his body feels like it’s on fire in the best way possible and he wants to explode with the sensation.

Prompto grinds against him from behind, pushing him against the rock as they move together. The merman’s slippery cock slides between his ass cheeks and its girth alone has Noctis moaning with need into the stone he’s pressed against. He feels Prompto’s hands grip his hips, steadying him as he draws back and guides himself against Noctis’s entrance.

“W-wait, you didn’t prep—” is all Noctis gets out before Prompto slides inside of him and his mind turns into static. It should hurt, it should feel like he’s being split in two, but whether it’s the toxin, or some kind of numbing agent in the lubrication of Prompto’s dick, Noctis nearly comes on the spot from the pleasure alone.

His lips part in a silent scream of pure ecstasy as Prompto’s giant merdick pushes inside of him with far more ease than it should. He’s never felt so full, so complete, not even with Gladio’s amazing dick, and a part of Noctis worries if this is it for them. Can they even compete with this? Can he even go back to them after this?

When Prompto bottoms out against him, Noctis squirms against him but doesn’t have to wait long for the merman to start moving. He slams inside of the prince, grabs his wrists to pin them against the rock, and starts fucking hard. He moves with the precision and need of an animal, yet still with the awareness of pleasuring his lover. Every thrust is a direct assault on Noctis’s prostate, but the prince can only manage out gasps and soft whines, like he _can’t_ be loud despite the overwhelming need to _shriek_ with pleasure.

The water ripples with their movements, sloshing against the rock as Prompto grunts and pants in Noctis’s ear. “You’re my first human,” he breathes, nibbling Noctis’s ear to give him a steady dose of the venom and keep him subdued. “You’re so _tight_!”

Noctis’s vision swims, the pleasure is overwhelming him, he’s tense and shaking and can’t remember the last time he was fucked so deep and thoroughly. But the arousal only builds with each thrust inside of him, and he squirms against the rock, bucks back into those thrusts to push that giant dick impossibly deeper. He swears he can feel it in his stomach. He needs release and comes with a stifled scream of desire, but the arousal doesn’t dissipate. He clenches around Prompto with his orgasm, riding out the waves, but his cock doesn’t soften and Prompto is still going strong.

“The first of many,” Prompto growls in his ear and Noctis sags back against him, limp from his orgasm. He turns his head to look at Prompto, gasping when the merman kisses him hungrily and his thrusts turn deeper and more intense. He fucks the limp body of the prince, pulling him back from the rock, to hold his body, fin keeping them steady in the water as he wraps a hand around Noctis’s sensitive leaking cock and strokes.

Overstimulated, already spent, and intoxicated, Noctis loses himself to the feeling. It’s weird and bizarre, but it’s the hottest thing he’s experienced in a long time. He likes this feeling of being used, likes this weird creature fucking him, and he wants more, even if his body doesn’t. He comes again, dry and it’s borderline painful, but it’s the most alive he’s felt in years. A part of him wants to find Ignis and Gladio after this and do this with them, even if he’s not a merman, even if he can’t do to them what Prompto is doing to him.

Noctis fears he’ll lose consciousness before Prompto’s thrusts finally turn erratic and he’s whimpering with a frantic need as he finally comes _hard_. The pressure of being filled by the merman’s seed is something Noctis didn’t know he needed. He arches hard, works his ass back against that merdick to milk it for _everything_, and he clenches with everything in him to keep it from leaving. He doesn’t want to feel the emptiness that he _knows_ will come when Prompto pulls out.

Prompto rolls into Noctis with a few more weak thrusts before they sink a little into the water, spent and useless together.

* * *

Ignis finds them nestled in the backseat of the _Regalia_ together. His anger at waking up to find them both gone eases when he sees the way they sleep, arms entangled protectively in a way he doesn’t understand, yet his heart does. He reaches down to brush some of Prompto’s fringe from his face with one gloved hand, before he looks to his prince with a soft smile.

He doesn’t get this, but realizes he doesn’t have to. It’s making Noctis happy, and that doesn’t mean that it’ll pull them apart.

Ignis refuses to let that happen.

He returns to the haven, packs enough leftovers from breakfast for the two youths to eat when they wake, and helps Gladio pack the tent and remainder of their things – including the bag of doubloons Prompto provided. They try their best not to wake the prince and his friend as they load the car up, Gladio mumbling under his breath when he has to squeeze in the front seat.

“Only until they wake, darling,” Ignis assures softly. “Wiz’s is quite some ways away from here, but I hardly expect them to sleep the entire length of the trip.”

“You underestimate Noctis’s ability to sleep, Iggy.”

Ignis laughs and starts the car, and despite the roar of the engine, Prompto only wiggles closer to Noctis as they drive away from the haven.

And away from his home.

* * *

When Noctis wakes, it’s under a blue sky and the sound of the wind blowing in his ears. He blinks in surprise as the clouds move by and then realizes he’s in the backseat with Prompto. It takes him more time than it should, to remember why he’s in the backseat with the merman, blushing with the reminder of their escapade in the pond.

When they’d finished, his legs didn’t work. He knew it wasn’t a literal paralysis, but it might as well have been. He was completely useless after being fucked by that dick and although he wanted to make jokes, he was worried about getting caught by Ignis or Gladio and having to explain why his legs didn’t work.

Of all people, the still-wobbly Prompto had to help him back to camp, but they both feared Noctis wouldn’t be better by the time the others got up, so they decided to get in the car and hope that a) Ignis or Gladio found them before freaking out too much, and b) didn’t question it but saw it as Prompto and Noctis being so excited to go to Wiz’s, that they slept in the car because they were so excited and couldn’t wait.

Judging from the fact that they seemed to have left the haven hours ago, Noctis realizes they succeeded. He sits up carefully and tries to move his legs. They’re slow to respond, but at least they’re moving now. He knows if they stop anytime soon, he’s going to have to fake his legs being asleep or something because he doesn’t think he can walk yet.

“_Finally_,” a voice says from the front as he looks up to see Gladio eyeballing him. “Iggy, stop the car. I gotta switch with the princess.”

Noctis scowls at the nickname but tries not to panic as Ignis glances up in the rearview mirror and pulls the _Regalia_ onto the shoulder. But Prompto sits up as if on cue and looks around excitedly.

“Oh, I’ll sit in the front!” he exclaims, meeting Noctis’s gaze in silent understanding as Gladio gets out of the car and stretches with a loud groan.

Hearing the exclamation, the big guy looks at the blond in surprise as the shorter man gets out, watching as Prompto wobbles past him and falls clumsily into the front seat. He _still_ can’t figure out what’s wrong with the blond, but before he can think on it too long, Ignis calls his name.

“Oh, Gladio, be a dear and get them their breakfast from the trunk, please?”

Looking from Noctis to Prompto, wondering what he’s missing, Gladio makes a face but shrugs it off and does as Ignis asked. He hands the containers to the two youths and gets in the backseat with Noctis, spreading his legs with a sigh of relief.

“Thank the fuckin’ Six.”

“How long have we been asleep?” Noctis asks quietly from beside him, taking a bite of his still warm bacon.

“A couple of hours,” Ignis answers from the front seat, smiling at the prince through the rearview mirror. “I’m afraid I will never understand how you manage to sleep like such a rock.” He turns his head to regard the blond beside him. “Or how you managed to find someone who shares your disposition for this trait.”

Prompto grins at Ignis, cheeks stuffed with food and despite the sight, Ignis can’t help a smile.

“Please chew thoroughly, Prompto.”

He checks for traffic before pulling back onto the road and conversation dies as Prompto and Noctis finish their breakfast.

Once Prompto finishes eating, however, he looks out at the scenery around him and gasps softly in surprise. His eyes widen as he looks at everything. The grand hilly landscape around him stretching for miles, the green of the grass, the road, the signs – _everything. _He sits up in the seat a bit more, trying to look at everything at once.

“I want to take this sight and bring it with me,” he says just loud enough for his three companions to hear and all it takes is one glance from Ignis in the rearview mirror for Noctis to reach into the Armiger for something he never expected them to use.

The strange sound from behind has Prompto turning to look just as the camera materializes in Noctis’s hand. He tilts his head, bird-like, and looks at the device. “What’s that?”

“A camera,” Noctis explains before realizing that the blond may have never seen one before. “Here, look.” He turns and snaps a picture of the scenery before showing Prompto the display screen. “You can literally do what you just said: bring this sight with you.”

Prompto stares in shock and surprise as he takes the camera when it’s offered to him. “…I can have this?” he asks, glancing up when Noctis nods.

“Just point and shoot,” the prince explains with a warm smile that has Prompto blushing.

The clothes were one thing, the lure another, but Prompto doesn’t remember the last time he received a gift. It’s occurring to him now, more than ever, how fortunate he was to be hooked by the other man. He’s being taken care of, and he feels loved.

Tentatively, Prompto lifts the camera to his face like he saw Noctis do, and presses the button. He pulls back to look at the display and laughs excitedly when he sees the picture appear. “Wow!” he exclaims softly, touching the screen with his finger. “It’s like magic!” He lifts the camera back up and snaps picture after picture before turning to Ignis, then Noctis, and then Gladio and snapping multiple pictures of them too.

“I think we need to get Prompto some books on photography,” Noctis muses from the backseat, smiling at how happy the young blond seems to be.

“I agree,” Ignis chimes from the front seat. “Shall we make a pit stop on the way to Wiz’s?”

“Sounds fine to me,” Gladio agrees with a nod, smiling when Prompto looks at him. He still doesn’t know the kid’s secret, doesn’t know if he’ll ever find out. But he’s aware that Ignis and Noctis both feel the same as him, that making this strange kid happy is bringing them all together.

And he wants to keep that going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank y'all again for being patient with me on my weird updating schedule. i've had a rough couple of weeks for a number of reasons, and i wanted to work on some older fics when the writing bug finally came back. <3 I hope y'all will continue to be patient with me in case I fall into another slump, but thank you so much for reading and being supportive.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompto and noctis have a fight.  
noctis gets reassurance about gladio's dick.  
and ignis and prompto go shopping.

Although Lestallum would’ve been better for shopping, it’s too far out of the way if they want to stay on track for Wiz’s. Truth be told, Galdin Quay wasn’t exactly on the way, but it was closer. Besides, no one is complaining that they’re going to Galdin Quay. With Prompto funding their trip by way of doubloon, money has become less of an issue and things are looking up in terms of what they can afford to do.

Maybe this will be the trip they wanted after all.

When they’d stopped the first time to stretch their legs and take a bathroom break, both Prompto and Noctis nearly fell getting out of the car. Both Ignis and Gladio had paused, confused by the trouble both youths seemed to be having, but Noctis dismissed his fall as just his legs being asleep, which Prompto was quick to agree was his excuse as well.

The longer Noctis walked, however, the better he got, but unfortunately, he couldn’t say the same for Prompto, who still wobbled around like a toddler. The two had met gazes and both knew they had to either come up with something substantial as an excuse, or come clean with the truth.

Noctis had wondered why they didn’t do just that – tell Ignis and Gladio the truth. Maybe it would have made things so much easier for them, instead of having to keep lying. But it was Prompto’s decision, and if Prompto didn’t want them to know, Noctis had to respect that.

But see the look in the other boy’s eyes had told Noctis that Prompto might be starting to wonder the same thing.

Their drive that day wound up being, for the most part, uneventful. Prompto had worn out the camera’s battery and had to wait until they stopped somewhere to charge it, according to Noctis anyway. He had been fairly upset when they’d arrived at Galdin Quay and saw all the photo opportunities he was missing out on. But a quick discussion had all four of them agreeing they could stay more than one day – for Prompto.

Nothing was demanding that they be anywhere, or do anything. Their trip was on their terms, and if their terms – for now – were to go to Wiz’s, it didn’t matter how long they stayed or didn’t stay, in one place. Once again, their funding came in to play, and they all felt indebted to Prompto in one way or another.

If Prompto wanted to stay an extra day in Galdin Quay, technically, he was paying for it.

As Ignis parks the _Regalia_, Prompto is all but falling over the door trying to get out so he can run to the ocean. Noctis squawks at him to be careful, while Gladio and Ignis observe in confused silence. They let the prince and his new friend run off to the beach, well _wobble_ to the beach, while Ignis raises the roof of the car and locks it behind him.

“Every time I think I have him figured out, something else happens,” Gladio mutters, eyes on Prompto while Ignis nods in silent agreement.

“As long as he poses no harm to Noct, I suppose there isn’t any reason to send him on his way,” the Adviser comments in reply, glancing at Gladio. “I’m certain they will tell us in due time.”

As they reach the water’s edge, Prompto yanks off his shoes as Noctis glances over his shoulder to make sure they have privacy. “Hey, Prom?”

“Yeah?”

“Why can’t we tell them the truth?”

The question stills Prompto mid-yank and he looks up at Noctis from where he’s sitting on the sand. “Why do we have to?” he counters as he resumes yanking off the shoe, drawing a frown from the prince.

“I didn’t say we _had_ to,” Noctis protests, “but I don’t understand what’s stopping us now. Or why we didn’t in the first place.”

Prompto matches Noctis’s frown with one of his own, dropping the shoe. “Why do you _think_ I’m not telling them?” he asks quietly, avoiding the other’s eyes. “It wasn’t my choice to tell you, you literally _caught_ me.” He finally looks up at Noctis. “I shouldn’t have to explain to you why I don’t want to tell them.”

“But it would make things so much eas—”

“—It’s the same reason why you don’t tell people you’re a prince,” Prompto cuts off, anger building in his expression as he unsteadily gets to his feet. He stares at Noctis, watching the surprise settle into the other boy’s features as he nods. “Yeah, I overheard Ignis talking to Gladio about ‘His Highness’ yesterday. It didn’t take me much to put two and two together, Noct. You don’t want people to know because they’d treat you differently, right? Well, the same goes for me.”

Prompto turns to face the sea and the setting sun, the anger fading from his voice and face. “I know you’d trust them with your life, but that’s what they’re there for, right?” He laughs softly, to himself and his gaze drops to the water at his feet. “I wasn’t planning on this trip lasting so long,” he admits after a moment. “…I thought we’d go and see the chocobos, and then you’d bring me back and that would be it. I wasn’t planning to lie to anyone any more than I had to, but…”

Noctis frowns again, reaching for Prompto’s hand. “I know you don’t know them like I do, but…I _do_ know them,” he tries. “You can trust them, I promise.”

Prompto jerks his hand away. “And what if they see me as one of those monsters you hunt?” he hisses. “What if they think of me as a creature? One that’s put a spell on you and charmed you into doing its bidding? What then? They don’t know me.”

Before Noctis can say anything, Prompto cuts him off again. “_You_ don’t even know me.”

The Lucian prince frowns deep, confused and disappointed by the way the conversation has gone. Venom or not, they’d shared a passionate experience that morning, but the turn of events they’re facing now has Noctis worried if it meant anything at all.

Again, before he can get a word out, Noctis is cut off, but this time by Gladio, who’s only just now catching up to them. The big guy is aware something’s gone down between the two but pretends to ignore it and invites them to come join him and Ignis for dinner in the nice restaurant of the hotel. He gives Prompto a piggyback ride and Noctis can only trail behind, wondering how things went so wrong so fast.

* * *

Dinner goes surprisingly well. Although Prompto is more subdued than usual, he’s incredibly receptive to Ignis’s suggestions for what to eat and for a moment, Noctis forgets what he really is. By the time they finish eating, it’s still early enough to go shopping, but Gladio declines to join them and Noctis takes the opportunity when he sees it.

The issue with Prompto aside, Noctis still has other things on his mind after his experience with the merman, and time alone with Gladio is _exactly_ what he needs.

Ignis seems surprised, but when Prompto still wants to go shopping even without Noctis, he knows something is up. He meets Gladio’s gaze only to find the other man watching him, confirming his suspicions. But Ignis decides the two are grown-up enough to resolve this on their own, and takes this as an opportunity to get to know Prompto – maybe even learn his secret.

So they part ways.

Gladio gets a key from Ignis and heads to the room with Noctis in tow. They take a moment to appreciate the lavish décor and generous space the room has to offer, complete with two beds, a nice bathroom, and a TV – not to mention the almost perfect view of the bay.

Even Gladio has to appreciate the sight until there’s a tap on his shoulder. He turns to Noctis in surprise, only to be pulled down into a kiss. He blinks in surprise, but he doesn’t pull away. It’s been some time since the prince has wanted to be with him and, truth be told, Gladio had started to wonder if there was ever going to be a next time. He tosses the key onto the bed and slips an arm around Noctis’s waist, pulling the shorter man closer as the kiss deepens.

Noctis had almost forgotten what it’s like to feel Gladio’s stubble scratching his skin and lets out a sigh when the kiss breaks and the big guy’s attacking his neck. He whimpers and presses closer, worried they don’t have enough time, yet not wanting to rush it.

With one arm, Gladio lifts Noctis from the floor and sets him down on the bed, crawling over the prince and stripping off his tanktop. Noctis sits up to meet Gladio, running his hands up the defined abs and chest of his Shield before bringing the bigger man back down to him with a hungry, needy kiss.

Gladio willingly complies as he strips out of his pants, exposing his hardening shaft to the prince as he moves to work on Noctis’s clothes next. The prince wriggles out of his clothes before reaching into the Armiger to get what they need, dropping it on the bed next to them as Gladio lifts a brow.

“Since when are we puttin’ the condoms and lube in the Armiger?”

“Since it occurred to me what a fucking awesome idea it is.”

Gladio barks out a laugh and shrugs, unable to come up with a rebuttal as he reaches for the lube and coats his fingers. Noctis eagerly draws up legs and bites his lip, anxiety filling him as he watches those digits draw near.

What if Prompto’s ruined sex for him with a dick like that? What if Gladio isn’t enough for him anymore? What if despite all of Ignis’s amazing abilities, he can no longer pleasure Noctis the same way?

But the second that finger presses at his hole, Noctis whines with need and relief. Sure, Gladio’s finger presses a little easier inside than he expects, but he’s still tight and the arousal explodes within him at the thought of…

He reaches down and wraps a hand around the other man’s cock, stroking it eagerly as he’s prepared. Gladio growls softly with approval and bends down to kiss Noctis, wet and messy, and Noctis whines as another finger is added.

Gladio’s fingers fuck just as good as his cock, and when that third one is added, Noctis screws himself down onto them with _need_. They press against that bundle of nerves and he nearly comes, arching off the bed, nails digging into Gladio’s back as he moans into the kiss.

It’s all that Gladio needs to gently remove his fingers and get a condom ready, happy to do it himself if it means getting inside of Noctis faster. He gets in position and meets the prince’s sharp gaze as he slides in slowly, watching those blue sapphires roll back in Noctis’s head the further he pushes in.

Noctis nearly sobs with relief as he’s filled with Gladio’s thick cock, chest heaving as his body takes it inch by inch until the other man is all the way inside. He feels Gladio’s arms hook under his knees, pulling him impossibly closer, and he opens his eyes just as his Shield bends him in half.

Their eyes meet as Gladio’s hips pull back and slam back in, and their gazes hold as Noctis jerks with the thrust. He barely manages to hold those honey eyes as that thrust hits home directly on the first try and Gladio doesn’t give him enough time to recover as he thrusts again, and again. Noctis’s can barely catch his breath, his brain can barely compute the pleasure, but he’s still overcome with relief that sex hasn’t been ruined, in fact, it’s almost _better_.

Sex with Gladio is always intense for Noctis, and even more so now. The room spins, interspersed with flashes of white every time Gladio nails his prostate. His cock is weeping against his stomach, jerking with every firm thrust as he moans out his pleasure. Gladio bends further down and bites his neck, marking it, marking _him_ right at the juncture where shoulder meets neck.

He’s so close, he wants to come untouched, and he knows he will. Just a bit further.

Sensing this, Gladio tilts his hips just slightly and begins an assault on that sweet spot inside of the prince, jerking the bed with his rough thrusts as Noctis’s bites back a scream that he really doesn’t want the rest of the hotel to hear. His dull nails score the length of Gladio’s back as he comes hard between them, coating their chests with white as he shakes with the force of his orgasm.

Gladio thrusts into that tightness, riding it for everything its worth as it pulls his release from him, hips jerking erratically before pressing a final time deep with Noctis with a loud growl, filling the condom but wanting to fill the prince.

He’s surprised when Noctis doesn’t let him pull away, but kisses him again, soft, almost loving as the prince rolls his hips along Gladio’s sensitive length. The big guy shivers, deepening the kiss as he reaches to cup the younger man’s face with his hands.

Something that had broken between them seems to have been fixed, and Gladio’s grateful even if he doesn’t know what happened or why. He pulls away but Noctis pulls him back once again and whispers a plea for round two.

* * *

“I like this one!”

Ignis restrains himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. It’s not Prompto’s fault his taste is practically the same as Noctis’s, but who is Ignis to judge? He had hoped, though, that just _maybe_ Prompto would share his taste in more refined clothes. But he should’ve guessed as much with Prompto having no clothes of his own and how decent he looked in what he’d been borrowing from Noctis…

Perhaps Ignis is being a little too uptight. It isn’t like he hasn’t been accused of it before. But Ignis supposes he still holds restraints about the new addition to their little group, and although he wants to get to know Prompto, he’s still suspicious.

Not to mention, it’s clear the blond and their prince have had some sort of disagreement, and Ignis would really like to know what that was about.

“Shall we try it on?” he asks aloud, tilting his head with a soft smile. “The dressing room is right over there.”

A flicker of panic settles in Prompto’s expression for a moment, but then it’s gone, replaced by bravado that Ignis is sure is at least somewhat false. Nevertheless, he helps Prompto carry the clothes they’ve gathered to the dressing room, setting them down before he steps back to shut the door.

“W-wait!” Prompto exclaims, bracing himself against the wall before he loses his balance. “You’re not gonna help?”

Ignis blinks. “Why would you need my help?”

The panic returns to those violet eyes as Prompto scrambles to come up with an excuse. He realizes a second too late, that if he’d held the veneer of sexual confidence, that perhaps he could’ve seduced Ignis into helping him, but he’d knee-jerked into panicked distress instead.

Fortunately for him, it worked.

“Oh dear,” Ignis murmurs as he steps back inside the dressing room, locking the door behind him. “Calm down, it’s alright.” He turns to sort through the bundle of clothes they’ve gathered to put together an outfit for Prompto to try.

Prompto, meanwhile, tugs his shirt up over his head and nearly falls over in the process, but Ignis is swift to catch him, one arm safely slipping around the blond’s waist. His warmth and cologne wash over Prompto and the young merman blinks up, thoughts filling his head that he’d never considered before.

Would Noctis mind if Prompto were interested in his mates? If it had been okay for them to be together in the pond, could Prompto be with Ignis and Gladio too? He couldn’t lie, they are both very fine specimens, perhaps even more so than Noctis, in their own ways.

Another minute passes before Prompto realizes he’s still in Ignis’s hold, but the other man hasn’t pulled away either. Those bright green eyes seem to be counting Prompto’s freckles, studying him, analyzing him and Prompto takes his shot.

Carefully, he closes the distance between them and presses his lips to Ignis’s. Although his nature is to mate, to fuck, he’s learned from Noctis – to take his time, and he’s relieved when Ignis doesn’t push him away. A yearning fills Prompto as he lifts from Ignis’s hold to press himself closer to the well-dressed man, and he knows that he will eventually tell the other his secret.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he will. He wants to know what it feels like to take Ignis for his own, to have him like he had Noctis.

As they pull apart, Ignis’s eyes flutter back open and they roam over Prompto for a brief moment. “Aren’t you something?” he muses softly, letting his lips brush over the blond’s. “I believe I’m beginning to understand.”

A part of Prompto melts at the soft sound of Ignis’s voice, the way those lips dust over his skin. The longing grows and he bites back a whimper at the thought of being taken against the wall by the other man, but he shuts off that part of his brain, the animalistic desire, and understands Ignis would never.

Maybe in the ocean, but humans are different and fickle and apparently being in public meant something to them. So Prompto can only smile at the other man, steal another kiss, before he pulls back and finishes stripping, forgetting that he’s hard as a rock and the underwear he’s borrowing doesn’t exactly hide that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I delivered with that smut. There will be plenty of it, dem boys are horny. <3
> 
> thank you all for your continued support with this fic. I'm so glad y'all are enjoying it. Let me know what you're thinking in the comments!
> 
> Also, please see my pinned tweet on my Twitter regarding some help I could use with bills.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ignis is a bit of a dom.  
prompto gets a bit of a show.  
gladio is an excellent teacher.

Ignis usually prides himself on his ability to keep his cool and hide behind a smooth veneer in the thick of things. But he really hadn’t thought to prepare himself for the situation he finds himself in now – stuck, more or less, in a dressing room with a very aroused Prompto. He’s caught staring in stunned surprise, first at the rather large bulge in Prompto’s underpants, but the way the other’s mood shifts from shocked and awkward, to coy and seductive.

It’s like a switch.

And Ignis, despite all his experience, is caught up in the moment. He’s only _ever_ given in to someone’s demands to fool around in public _once_, and he’d told Gladio never again. But the concept seems lost on Prompto, like he’d do it anywhere if given the opportunity. Ignis knows there’s more to this than meets the eye, and he still doesn’t know what went down between Prompto and Noctis, or why the blond is even here.

He finally surrenders when Prompto hooks his fingers around the band of his underwear and pushes them down, freeing his aching erection that even Ignis can’t ignore. He steps forward, tugs off his glove and spins Prompto around so they’re facing the mirror.

Prompto gasps, but before he can get a word out, he meets those piercing green eyes in the mirror as Ignis’s lips hover next to his ear.

“_Not a sound_. Understood?”

Opening his mouth to respond, Prompto sees Ignis lift a brow and immediately presses his lips tight together with a nod. The hint of a smile Ignis gives in response thrills Prompto more than he expects and he bites his lip as long fingers wrap around his cock and stroke. He keens under the touch, but stays silent as a breath escapes through parted lips. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands as he drags his nails over his stomach and reaches up behind him to hook his other hand around the back of Ignis’s neck.

Ignis can’t believe he’s doing this, but his shock and surprise is hidden behind that mask he wears so well. He watches Prompto unravel at his touch, eyes glued to the figure of the blond in the mirror, squirming against him. His body betrays him, he’s hard as a rock and Prompto’s bare ass grinding against him isn’t helping things, but he _will_ not have sex.

He’s just…helping. Yeah, that’s right. Helping.

As his hand travels the length of Prompto’s cock and back, his thumb teases the tip, smearing the precum before sliding back down to finger the blond’s balls. He feels the vibrations of a moan, but Prompto stifles it and he feels the younger man’s fingers digging into the back of his neck as he fights to stay silent.

Ignis takes the time to admire the freckled body against him in the mirror, eyes raking down his toned torso, to the cock he holds in his hand, back up to the face contorted with agonized pleasure. He _wants_ to be loud and Ignis wants to hear him, but not now. He likes what he sees, he likes this control, and just to make things even harder – no pun intended – he bites at Prompto’s exposed neck before lavishing it in soft kisses.

His actions earn a high-pitched whimper, but one quick glare of warning has Prompto biting back down on his lip to quiet himself as he thrusts into the hand pleasuring him. His movements are erratic, irregular, and Ignis knows Prompto is near his release. He bites down one last time before kissing his way up to one ear, nibbling.

“Come for me, darling.”

As if on command, Prompto comes with a silent scream. His mouth parts, his body jerks, and he paints the white walls with more white, but he doesn’t make a sound as Ignis milks him dry. His knees fight to give, but Ignis wraps his other arm firmly around Prompto’s waist and holds him while he lifts his soiled fingers to his lips. Those bright emerald eyes lock on Prompto’s as he licks his fingers clean, and Prompto shudders against him.

“Such a good boy,” he whispers. “Do you always listen to directions so well?”

* * *

When Ignis and Prompto head back to the hotel room, they enter just as Gladio emerges from the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a towel. He doesn’t miss the way they both eye him, grinning as he goes to his bag to change into some pajamas. Ignis takes the bags from their shopping expedition and sets them down as Prompto wobbles over to the bed where Noctis is buried up to his hair in the covers. He frowns, thinking about their argument, wanting to talk about it but not in front of Ignis and Gladio.

“Is he okay?” he asks, glancing over his shoulder at Gladio.

“Yeah, just tuckered out,” the big guy replies with another grin, and it takes Prompto a moment before he realizes what the other man is implying. He looks back at the tuft of dark hair poking out from under the covers and realizes he can’t be mad, he literally just fooled around with Ignis, but a part of him feels…jealous.

Noctis is the only one he’s…well, _mated_ with. He supposes that’s why.

Just as Prompto turns back to ask Gladio another question, he blinks when the big guy just drops the towel and steps into a pair of pajama pants, exposing his dick for the world to see. He doesn’t linger, and changing in front of the others obviously is something he does all the time, but Prompto is practically salivating at the sight of the other man’s cock.

It’s… Shit, it’s almost as big as Prompto is in merform.

And that’s saying something.

Feeling eyes on him, Gladio looks up, expecting Prompto to probably blush and look away, but those violet eyes just stare and the kid has the gall to lick his lips. It’s actually Gladio that blushes and turns away, just as Ignis disappears into the bathroom, unaware of what took place.

Thinking he has an opportunity with Ignis out of the room, Prompto opens his mouth but he’s cut off as Ignis reemerges from the bathroom. “My apologies, Prompto, did you want to shower first?”

Tearing his gaze away from Gladio, Prompto looks at Ignis with a smile and shakes his head. “It’s okay, you can go,” he says, realizing he’ll probably have to take a shower, even if he’s not sure what that is. He feels a moment of panic and tries to hide it. “I’ll take mine in the morning.”

Ignis lifts an eyebrow, but nods and disappears and Gladio’s forgotten from Prompto’s mind as he turns back to look at Noctis. He’s got to apologize, and mean it, because he can’t do much without the prince’s help. He fakes a yawn and strips down before burrowing under the covers next to Noctis, biding his time while Gladio and Ignis ready themselves for bed.

They take _forever_. Gladio stays up reading as Ignis finishes his shower, but takes ages with aftercare before finally settling into bed with the other man. He hears the soft murmurs of their voices as they talk before the sound of covers rustling and wet kissing reach Prompto’s ears. At first, he’s shocked that Ignis would again so soon, not to mention Gladio, but quickly recalls he did not return the favor in the dressing room. He dares to turn his head and peek and finds only Ignis in the bed before movement under the covers tells him what’s _really _going on.

Ignis’s profile is pure art as he tilts back his head and grips at something under the covers, which Prompto can only assume is Gladio’s hair. His eyes are closed, glasses gone, lips parted as he moves and Prompto spies the motion of Gladio’s head bobbing through the covers. He watches Ignis’s legs spread wider and Prompto isn’t too sure the other man is doing it, or if it’s Gladio enjoying the idea of how wide they can go, how flexible Ignis is.

It’s intoxicating to watch but Prompto turns away and just listens. Minutes pass before Ignis’s breath quickens, there’s a soft moan and he gasps, breath catching in his throat before more rustling of covers follow along with more wet kissing.

It feels like ages before there’s movement and the lights turn off. By the time Gladio starts snoring, Prompto’s almost too tired to do what he’d been waiting all this time to do. He carefully shakes Noctis and whispers his name until the prince jerks awake in confusion.

“Prom?” he whispers back, rubbing his eyes as he turns to look at the blond. “What are you doing? It’s the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry,” Prompto blurts out, eyes wide and desperate, but he’s serious. “I…I can’t do this without you. So, if you want me to tell them, I’ll tell them.”

Noctis’s expression softens in the dark but he shakes his head as he pulls Prompto to him and kisses him. “I don’t _want_ you to tell them,” he says. “I just don’t understand your reasons, but I don’t have to. You tell them if and when you’re ready, okay? _I’m_ sorry that I didn’t try to understand. You take all the time you need.” He kisses the blond again and Prompto feels like he’s gotten off way too easy.

“…Gladio’s dick is that good, huh?”

Noctis scowls, but he sees Prompto’s smile and laughs softly, turning onto his other side so he can pull the blond into his arms. “Good_night_, Prom.”

Prompto giggles as he gets comfortable against the prince, dozing off as he considers that fact. The prince of this land is holding him in his arms. The prince is the one that caught him. This is the man who’s taking him to see the chocobos.

…Lucia has a good man destined to be their king, he thinks.

* * *

When morning comes, Noctis secretly shows Prompto how to use the shower, and after managing to keep his balance, Prompto cleans up and joins the others for breakfast downstairs in the restaurant the hotel has. Things seem to ease back to normal among them as they order their food and eat it when it arrives. A soft breeze is coming off the water, and it’s a bright sunny day.

Noctis catches Prompto staring wistfully at the water more than once, though, and he tries not to frown, wondering if the blond misses it.

Maybe they can sneak away tonight. He smiles with a nod at the idea.

After breakfast, they venture out among the shops, although Prompto seems less interested in shopping with more people around than last night. He’s still wobbling and is catching more than a few glances this time around. He’s starting to feel embarrassed.

Just as Noctis spies an “I LOVE FISH STICKS” T-Shirt hanging in a tourist shop window, Prompto quietly asks if he can go back to the hotel room. The question surprises the others, but Gladio volunteers to go back with the blond.

Prompto meets Noctis’s worried gaze and tries to tell him he’s fine with his eyes before wobbling back to the hotel with Gladio at his side. Noctis watches until they’re out of sight, before turning back to the shirt in the window and confidently announcing to Ignis that he’s buying one for each of them.

Gladio doesn’t say much until he’s back in the room with Prompto. He watches the blond wobble to one the beds before he approaches and crosses his arms. “So, what’s up with the walkin’ anyway?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“I’d rather not say,” Prompto answers in a rather defeated way, shoulders slumped as he turns to look out the window.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Gladio’s quick to apologize as he closes the distance between them. “…I wasn’t tryin’ to be rude, just curious, I guess.” He sits next to Prompto and the bed dips with his weight. “I can show you some stretches and shit, if you think it’ll help?”

Prompto turns to look at Gladio, skeptical. “Stretches?”

Nodding, the big guy gets to his feet and gently pulls Prompto up as well. “Yeah, try this,” he says, guiding Prompto into a position to help him stretch his legs and work his balance. “This is part of what I do back at home,” he explains as he helps the blond. “I do a lot of trainin’ with the Crownsguard, and with Noct and Iggy. The rest is weapons and combat practice.”

Once Prompto is in position, Gladio lets go and smiles when the blond manages to hold it. “Good!” He reaches for one of the younger man’s thighs, guiding him down a bit. “Now, stretch… Keep holdin’ it… There ya go…”

Prompto can feel his muscles burning, but he lets Gladio guide and help him. He likes the big guy, likes how close he is, likes those hands on him. And after seeing his dick last night, Prompto knows he wants more. Gladio seems good at heart, takes care of himself and the others, and his willingness to help even with Prompto keeping the truth from him…

It means something to him.

They go through a series of stretches, some of which Gladio makes Prompto hold for as long as he can. The burn feels good and by the time they’re finished, it’s been a workout. Gladio walks a few steps away and nods to Prompto from across the room.

“Now, let’s try walkin’,” he says with a smile, motioning for Prompto to come to him.

And Prompto does. He’s surprised when his steps are surer, and he wobbles less than he has since coming on land. Walking isn’t natural for him, he doesn’t follow the same instincts humans do, but he feels like he’s almost got it down as he closes the distance between himself and Gladio.

Gladio smiles at Prompto’s improvement, proud he’s managed to help the younger man this much in such a small amount of time. Maybe a little guidance was all that Prompto needed, or a good stretch to work out some lingering injury – Gladio didn’t know. He smiles when Prompto reaches him, but the blond trips and falls into his arms.

It was almost cliché, but Gladio watches Prompto look up with a soft blush on his freckled cheeks and he knows he’s doomed. In between seeing the youth naked twice, catching him in his arms seems to have become a thing for them, and even though he doesn’t know why or how Prompto is here, he can’t imagine the blond _not_ being here. He fits in like a piece none of them knew they’d been missing.

And Gladio is a man that knows what he wants. He may not know everything there is to know about Prompto, but he knows he wants the blond here with them and maybe even…

Their lips press together and Prompto straightens against Gladio, pressing close as the kiss deepens. Gladio’s tongue swoops in to claim Prompto’s mouth for his own, but instead of feeling suffocated by the intensity of the kiss, Prompto feels intoxicated. He wants _more_, wants to feel that tongue any and everywhere.

Prompto realizes with sudden clarity that he knows very little about how sex with humans works. So far, it seems similar, but the only person he can really ask isn’t here. Not to mention, he’d never stopped to consider what he did with Ignis in the dressing room as something that was okay. His three new friends were already mates together, and he wasn’t a part of that. Prompto jerks back from the kiss with a gasp, blushing as Gladio looks on in confusion.

“Somethin’ wrong?”

Prompto blushes and shakes his head, trying to think of what he can say that would make sense. “…You’re with Ignis and Noct, aren’t you?” he manages to half-lie. “This isn’t okay.”

“I don’t think either of them will mind,” Gladio growls in response, pressing close again but Prompto takes a step back, surprising both of them.

“Maybe not, but…” Prompto can’t believe he’s even saying this. “…I don’t want to cause problems between any of you.”

Gladio lifts an eyebrow. “Kid, since you’ve shown up, I think we’ve been doin’ even _better_,” he protests. “You’re like some kind of weird good luck charm. I haven’t gone down on Iggy in _months_ til last night, and Noct hasn’t wanted to be with me in what feels like longer…” He laughs at the bizarreness of what he’s saying but shrugs. “I think you bein’ here is helpin’.”

Prompto blushes at those words but considers them.

“Either way, I saw you lookin’ last night,” Gladio adds, voice dropping low as he waits for Prompto to look at him, smirking. “Don’t you wanna taste?”

Prompto’s blush deepens but he supposes the other man has a point. Although he wants that dick _in_ him, maybe it’s better to start slow with Gladio and Ignis. At least until they know the truth and what they’re getting into. He steps forward, eyes drifting down to the bulge in Gladio’s pants, reaching to palm it as he shyly glances up through his lashes at the taller man.

Just as he starts to fiddle with the other man’s belt – stupid human clothes – the lock on the door beeps with the arrival of Noctis and Ignis as they come into the room. Prompto practically leaps back from Gladio as if he’s on fire, but Noctis only holds up his prize purchase.

A shirt reading I LOVE FISH STICKS is not what Prompto expects to read, and he almost frowns at the implication. He has plenty of fish friends, so this isn’t funny to him. Noctis realizes the joke is lost on Prompto and rushes over to whisper an explanation in his ear. Realization dawns on Prompto and he’s wheezing with laughter as Gladio and Ignis share an exasperated look from across the room.

“Don’t worry,” Noctis says as he catches Gladio’s expression, and smirks. “I got one for everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is a bit of a let down. lost my wind about halfway into it and struggled to finish it, so i hope it's alright.
> 
> please don't forget to check out my ko-fi and consider a donation. six ko-fis or more will earn you a cross-stitch <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things settle down.  
ignis has a hunch.  
and prompto and noctis get closer.

The following day yields a much better atmosphere between the four. The tension has eased between Prompto and Noctis, confusing both Gladio and Ignis but no one’s complaining that the two made up. They spend another morning at the restaurant, treating themselves to a proper breakfast before venturing to the beach this time so Noctis can try out some of the fishing spots Galdin Quay has to offer.

Prompto huffs a bit, but now that the camera has been recharged, he’s easily distracted with taking pictures after too long. He insists they come back at sunset so he can capture the beauty he saw their first night there. Turns out, he’s not too shabby at photography. No genius, but at least to Noctis, for a merman, Prompto is pretty good at it.

After Noctis gets his fill on fishing, and they’ve all gotten a decent tan from staying out in the sun, the four of them head back towards the shops to find some photography books, as promised, for Prompto. The blond is doing much better with his walking after Gladio’s help, and he can’t help but steal the occasional look back at the big guy as they all walk along.

This is not lost on Noctis, who’s been quietly observing the merman eyeing Gladio, and he wonders what went down between the two yesterday.

Their mission to find some books is a success, and they stop for pizza on the way back to the hotel. Meals have been fairly straightforward with Prompto after leaving the haven, but the triangle sitting in front of him confuses him as he glances to Noctis and then back at the slice.

“I get to eat this with my _hands_?” he asks. “After all that talk about the fork thing?”

Gladio snorts into his drink and even Ignis hides a smile behind a hand as Noctis laughs and nods. “Yeah, this one’s okay to eat with your hands,” he assures. “Look.” He gestures to the people around them and Prompto eyes them skeptically.

“You huma…” Prompto starts to say before trailing off awkwardly and stuffing his face with a biteful of pizza instead. 

Gladio’s eyebrow shoots up but Noctis just coughs and takes a big bite of his pizza as well. Only Ignis remains a blank slate of indifference at the slip.

The rest of their lunch is somewhat awkward, but Noctis suggests going to swim in the late afternoon sun while Gladio opts to take a nap and Ignis is left to sort through their inventory. He trusts the prince and their new friend to heed caution at the beach while he organizes their purchases and restocks the Armiger with things they’ve bought.

Once the door to the hotel shuts behind them, however, Gladio sits up on the bed and gives Ignis a look. At first, the Adviser brushes it off as Gladio’s non-subtle way of asking for some, but when he glances over at the big guy, there’s a pensive expression on his scarred face.

“Is something the matter?”

Gladio cocks his head and finally shifts his gaze to Ignis. “So, lunch seemed normal to you?”

Ignis sniffs softly and goes back to stocking. “How do you mean?”

“I mean the kid,” Gladio explains. “Who doesn’t know how to eat _pizza_?” He scoffs and slides to the edge of the bed. “I just can’t figure him out.”

“I believe I have an idea,” Ignis says like it’s nothing, double-checking their stock of basic potions and making a note to get some once they decide to leave Galdin Quay. He doesn’t suspect they’ll need them, with Prompto around they won’t be doing much fighting, but Ignis personally believes in being prepared and that’s one risk he’s not willing to take with the prince.

When Ignis doesn’t elaborate, Gladio clears his throat. “Uh, Iggy? You gonna share with the class?”

“I highly suspect you won’t agree with my suspicions,” comes the reply as the Adviser rises to his feet and turns to face the other man.

Gladio just gives him a look, which earns him a sigh from Ignis.

“I do not believe he’s human.”

Gladio barks out a laugh before he realizes Ignis is being serious and quickly sobers as he stares. “…You’re kiddin’, right?”

“No.”

“Well then, what the fuck is he?” the Shield demands, temper flaring. “Why would you let Noct just run off with something that isn’t human?”

“Because he clearly poses no danger to Noct,” Ignis answers, walking to Gladio and opting to straddle the other man on the bed. He calms the bristling Shield with soft strokes to his dark locks, holding his gaze. “Because I have been alone with him. So have you.” He waits for Gladio to relax a bit before he continues. “But it explains plenty, in my opinion.”

Gladio shifts to lay down, bringing Ignis with him and shifting to get comfortable beneath him. “But what is he?” he asks softly.

“I have my suspicions, but it’s useless to speculate,” Ignis replies in an equally soft voice, resting his head on the other man’s chest. “He will tell us once he is ready.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then, I am wrong about him,” comes the quick retort, “which I highly doubt is the case.”

Gladio snorts softly but tugs Ignis up for a soft kiss. “I hope you’re right.”

Ignis just smiles before settling back down atop Gladio, and slowly, together, they doze off.

* * *

Noctis and Prompto make it to the beach, but decide to follow the path away from the resort to a more secluded cove out of sight from the main shore. Once Prompto is convinced they’re safe from wandering eyes, he strips down and dives into the water, body glowing as he transforms back into merform.

Watching from the sand, Noctis strips down to his trunks, biting his lip as he watches the blond. He’s concerned about their decision to steal the merman away from his home, even if he was lonely. Prompto looks so happy in the water that it starts to guilt Noctis into thinking they’d made a mistake by bringing him along.

After swimming in the water for a solid minute, Prompto breaches the surface, only to see the worried expression on the prince’s face. He swims closer to the shore, resting in the wet sand the waves leave behind.

“Noct?” he asks. “Buddy, you okay?”

The question seems to bring Noctis out of his daze and those blue eyes find the merman a few feet away. He offers a sad smile and kneels in front of the other boy carefully.

“I feel guilty about tearing you away from your home,” he admits. “…Making you parade around as something you’re not. I know it’s been hard on you. I...” He trails off and ducks his head. “And then I got mad at you for not telling the others your secret…” He doesn’t know why he feels so emotional, but he is and it’s frustrating him.

Prompto studies the prince for a long moment before one webbed hand reaches out to take one of Noctis’s. “I can leave anytime I want, right?” he asks, earning a confused and even more worried look from the other, but once he receives a nod, he smiles. “Then, you didn’t tear me away from anything.” He shrugs, pressing his palm to Noctis’s as if comparing the size of their hands. “I left my home, but I made new friends, maybe even new mates. I’m learning a lot, and I’ll finally get to see chocobos!” His expression turns wistful and Noctis spots tears in those violet eyes. “…I got really lucky… I could’ve been caught by someone who wished me harm, but…” He looks up as a tear spills and Noctis pulls Prompto into a kiss, mindful of the merman’s fangs as it deepens.

Before another accident occurs and Noctis loses the ability to walk, the prince breaks the kiss and nuzzles his face into Prompto’s. “We should be careful,” he whispers. “We can’t risk another venom incident, especially here.”

Prompto frowns but nods, understanding that he could be seen in merform here and they can’t risk it. Without hesitation, he shimmers back into human form and climbs over Noctis, kissing him deep as he straddles the prince.

“How about now?”

Noctis pulls back in surprise, but he doesn’t have to look down to know what state Prompto’s in. The merman’s libido rivals his, but he isn’t complaining. He nods as he reaches into the Armiger and grabs what he needs, kissing Prompto again, deeper and messier without the fangs to worry about. The blond is writhing atop him, hips grinding against his own for the friction, happy and relieved to be sating that _need_.

“Back on the towel,” Noctis whispers, motioning behind him to where their stuff is sitting and Prompto all but scrambles off the prince to get in position.

“Oh!” he exclaims in sudden thought. “How do humans mate?”

“It’s safe to say it’s pretty much the same as what you do,” Noctis replies, “but without the venom. I’ll show you.”

Gesturing for Prompto to lay down, Noctis tugs off his trunks and climbs over the blond, leaning down to kiss him again, but gentler. Sweeter. He takes his time, wanting to make this an easy transition for Prompto, wanting this to be special. He expects they’ll maintain their privacy back on the sand and out of the water, and the sun is setting so they’ll be harder to spot on the off-chance some ship goes by.

Pressing his hips to Prompto’s, Noctis slowly grinds against him, letting out a breath as he reaches between them and around both of their cocks. Prompto whines beneath him and arches, sensitive to the touch and desperate to come already. Noctis doesn’t know enough about merpeople to understand their ways of mating, if love is a factor, or if sex is just a basic instinct.

But Prompto took care of him during their sex, so _some_ kind of feelings involved.

Capturing Prompto in another kiss, Noctis pops open the lube and lets go of their cocks to ready his fingers. He’s sucking on Prompto’s tongue as he slips the first finger inside of the merman, and Prompto abruptly pulls back with a soft yelp of surprise.

“Is it _supposed_ to feel like that?”

Noctis almost laughs, but a part of him is bothered. What if Prompto didn’t enjoy it because it wasn’t the same as what the toxin did to their bodies?

“At first,” he tries to explain. “I know it feels weird, but… It’ll get better, and I’ll make sure not to hurt you. Unfortunately we don’t have venom to loosen us up.”

Prompto eyes him skeptically, wiggling as he tries to adjust to the finger. He looks unsure and honestly, after experiencing the venom-sex, Noctis understands why.

“Do you trust me?”

The question stills the merman as he looks up at the prince and reads his expression. He wiggles one more time before he nods and smiles a little. “Yeah, I do.”

Returning the smile, Noctis kisses those pouting lips as he works his way down Prompto’s naked body, dotting kisses along the way – a trick he learned from Ignis, the king of foreplay. He stops at Prompto’s navel, still working his finger in and out of the other man’s entrance, before pressing a wet kiss there and blowing softly. His actions earn a breathy shiver from Prompto and he can’t help a smile as he kisses his way to the blond’s cock. Just as he takes it into his mouth, he adds another finger, and Prompto’s torn between a moan and a groan.

A hand finds its way into Noctis’s hair as the prince stretches and prepares Prompto, all while sucking him off. He bobs his head, taking the blond as deep as he can go, swirling his tongue as he presses his fingers deep and crooks them. He finds the spot he’s looking for as Prompto arches and thrusts up into his mouth.

“Oh!” the merman breathes, blinking rapidly as he comes to his senses and looks down at Noctis. “S-sorry! That felt _much_ better.”

Narrowly avoiding a gag, Noctis pulls off Prompto’s dick and wipes his chin with the back of his other hand. “Not a problem,” he assures with a smirk, pressing his fingers deep again and watching Prompto jerk with pleasure in response. He bends back down to take the blond into his mouth again, aiming to please with both tongue and fingers in order to bring Prompto right to the edge.

He slips the third finger in as he grazes his teeth gently along the shaft, and Prompto lets out a strangled noise as his fingers tighten in Noctis’s hair almost painfully. He tries to be gentle, wanting to make this as easy as possible, but Prompto’s so _tight_ that Noctis worries. He pulls off the other man’s dick once more and presses a kiss to his inner thigh.

“You okay?”

Prompto’s legs quake as he lifts his head and nods. “Y-yeah.”

Three fingers in deep, Noctis moves up Prompto’s body to meet his gaze and kiss him softly. “You sure?”

Once Prompto nods, Noctis crooks his fingers again and the blond arches up off the towel, clenching around those digits inside of him as he shudders. “F-fuck, oh… Oh, _Six_,” he’s gasping as the Lucian prince thrusts his fingers in and Prompto’s pushing into the feeling now. “I-it still feels weird, but…o-_oh_!” He bites his lip almost hard enough to draw blood, but eases off with another gasp. “N-Noct, please… I can’t… I need… _Get in me before I come_.”

Overcome with desire, Noctis leans for a kiss, hungry and passionate as he gently pulls his fingers free to get himself ready. Prompto inhales him, fingers still tangled in those dark locks before he breaks the kiss to nip and bite at the prince’s jaw and neck.

Noctis quickly prepares himself and pulls back from Prompto to get into position, glancing up at those violet eyes wide and watching him. He hasn’t been on top in a long time and forgot how empowering it felt, not that he didn’t enjoy receiving it from both Gladio and Ignis, but… Gladio wasn’t exactly a bottom and Ignis was a bit of a dom at times.

It’s hot and Noctis likes to be on the receiving end of _that_.

But the prince shakes those thoughts aside and reaches for one of Prompto’s hands, threading their fingers as he guides himself carefully inside of the other man. He’s as gentle as he possibly can be, easing inside Prompto’s hot tightness, watching that brow furrow and lips part. He knows that burning pain, but he wants to keep his word and prove Prompto right for trusting him.

He wants this to feel _good_ for Prompto because it feels _amazing_ to sink inside that heat, and he worries if the merman asks him to stop, if he even could. But he bottoms out and takes his time leaning over to brace himself over Prompto, kissing him tenderly before he hears a soft whimper.

“…Fuck me, _please_.”

Noctis nearly comes on the spot with that plea, meeting those blue-violet eyes with his own wide-eyed expression as he pulls back gently and thrusts back in, establishing a slow, steady rhythm as best he can. He wants to go fast, wants to fuck Prompto into the sand and make him _scream_ the way Gladio makes him do, but he can’t.

Prompto slips his arms around the prince’s neck, holding on as the other man thrusts inside. It’s a dull, burning pain that fades with each passing second and as Noctis picks up the pace, so does the pleasure. Prompto draws up his legs and wraps them around Noctis’s waist – it feels right – and draws him in deeper, which brushes that spot inside of Prompto that made him feel starts. He goes from soft whimpers and moans to loud ones, and his arms slide from around Noctis’s neck, to his back, nails digging into the prince’s skin.

The sound of the ocean and the waves drown out most of the sounds for anyone in the vicinity, but Prompto and Noctis can hear it all. The sound of skin slapping skin, wet kisses, moans, everything just fuels the fire between them. Prompto buries his face against Noctis’s neck and cries out when a well-aimed thrust shoots fire up his spine. He can feel his cock leaking between them, a steady mess of pre-cum smearing over his stomach.

Noctis wouldn’t call himself the best top ever, but he’s learned from them. He tries to take everything they’ve done to him to do to Prompto, and he’s succeeding. He’s built stamina over the years, learned how to keep from blowing his load a minute in, and now, as he leans on one hand to slip the other between their bodies, he’s going to make his lover come first.

Feeling the hand wrap around his cock, Prompto cries out the prince’s name and grinds with need to meet that thrust inside of him, before his own hips thrust up into the hand touching him. He finds his rhythm and so does Noctis, and together, they bring each other to the edge and beyond.

Prompto’s a sobbing babbling mess of pleasure as he comes without warning, shooting stripes of white over his chest as Noctis strokes him to completion. It feels like an eternity as his world spins around him and the pleasure overcomes him until he doesn’t know up from down.

Noctis rides the orgasm out, thrusting erratically into that blinding tightness until he can’t hold it anymore. He comes, and comes _hard_, shaking as he presses deep and fills Prompto with his release, coating the other man’s insides until he’s completely spent and collapsing on top of him.

Prompto practically purrs beneath him, wiggling and shaking his head. “You humans are inferior,” he has the gall to tease. “One orgasm and you’re out like a light.”

Before Noctis can gather the energy to scowl, Prompto kisses him in apology. He likes the feeling of the other man inside of him, of the way he’s filled with his seed. He wishes humans could last longer so they could go again, he’s not finished, but they pull apart and wash off in the sea.

It’s late by the time they return to the room, but apparently Ignis had ordered room service for all of them (which apparently had just arrived) and Gladio comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel once again.

Just as Gladio drops the towel to change into pajamas, he catches Prompto staring just as Noctis stuffs a sandwich in his mouth.

“Like what ya see, huh?” the big guy teases with a smirk, but he doesn’t expect the answer he gets.

“I’m bigger,” Prompto says with a shrug as Noctis chokes on the sandwich, prompting Ignis to rush to his aid.

“You are _not_,” Gladio counters back, hands on his hips as he challenges the blond. “I’ve _seen_ you.”

Just as Noctis swallows the sandwich and tries to intervene, Prompto stands up from where he’s sat down on the bed and puts his hands on his hips as well.

“Prompto—” the prince croaks.

“—You haven’t seen my _other_ dick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tee-hee :) Not much to say today. I haven't abandoned my other works, just only feeling inspiration for this one right now. <3 Please consider donating a ko-fi (link below), and don't forget to subscribe to this fic for updates in case you miss one!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the confession.  
the show.  
the...ignis.

The silence that follows the declaration is awkward, to say the least, but mainly because no one – except Noctis – understands what Prompto meant.

“Uh…” Gladio’s saying as Noctis reaches Prompto’s side, wide-eyed. “…Wanna run that by us again?”

“You heard me,” Prompto replies confidently, ignoring Noctis – for now.

“_Prom_…” Noctis mutters, tugging on his arm. “Stop.”

The blond finally looks at the prince beside him, shrugging. “Why?” he asks quietly as both Ignis and Gladio stare at them in confusion. “I thought you wanted me to.”

“That’s not…” Noctis tries to say before he sighs in exasperation and drags Prompto into the bathroom, shutting the door. “I don’t want you to tell them because of _me_, I want you to tell them for _you_.”

The prince turns from the door only to find Prompto bending over the tub, trying to figure out how to fill it. “I know,” Prompto’s saying as he starts running the water, “and I decided I’m ready.” He frowns when he can’t figure out how to plug the tub, blinking when Noctis appears at his side and shows him.

“Why?” Noctis asks as he looks at Prompto. “Just the other day we were fighting about this, what changed?”

Prompto blushes slightly as he looks away, rubbing his arm. “…You,” he says, voice barely audible over the sound of the water filling the tub. “On the beach, I…” He trails off before taking a breath and looking up at Noctis. “…I think I love you.”

Noctis’s eyes go wide as he sits back and stares at the blond merman, mind racing at the confession. But even though it’s only been a couple of weeks, he knows his life’s been changed now that Prompto is in it. He lifts himself up back up on his knees and reaches for Prompto, kissing him and nuzzling him softly.

“…I think I love you, too.”

Prompto laughs out a sob of relief and hugs Noctis against him, burying his face in the prince’s shoulder before he pulls back and starts stripping. He climbs in the tub, cooling the water before that familiar glow encompasses his body. His tail is so long, it curves up and over the edge of the tub, but he shifts a little and gets as comfortable as he can while the water fills up.

Noctis watches, hesitant, but if Prompto’s certain, then he is too. He goes to the door and opens it, calling for Gladio and Ignis before he looks back at Prompto, listening to the sound of approaching footsteps, heart in his throat.

Once the others approach, Noctis stops them. “I need you guys to promise me something,” he says, earning confused expressions from both Ignis and Gladio, but he stands firm until they both nod in agreement. “Promise me that no matter what you see, you still treat Prompto the same. That Prompto still gets to stay. He’s risking a lot showing you this.”

“…He’s riskin’ a lot showin’ me his so-called ‘other dick’?” Gladio barks out, but Noctis’s glare quiets him and he clears his throat with a nod. “Uh, yeah, okay, I promise?”

Ignis seems to mull the request over, eyes narrowing slightly and Noctis knows the tactician in him is trying to figure out and assess what could possibly be waiting in the bathroom beyond. “…Alright,” he finally agrees. “I promise.”

Noctis glances back at Prompto again, the blond blue-tinged merman giving him a thumbs-up in response and he steps back to allow Gladio and Ignis inside. Both men walk in, coming to an abrupt halt at the sight that greets them in the large tub.

Prompto’s long blue-green tail hanging over the bathtub’s edge is where their eyes go first, traveling up the length of the blond’s body, to his webbed, clawed hands, blue-tinged here and there in his skin, to the little fangs poking over his lips. He’s smiling, but he’s clearly nervous as he licks his lip and tries not to bite it.

Gladio’s the first to recover from the sight, mouth dry. “…I don’t see a dick,” he blurts out as Ignis sighs and drops his face into his hand.

“Gladio, that is _hardly_ what’s important here,” Ignis tries to say, but before he can speak further, Prompto reaches down and gently rubs a spot where his groin would be if he were still human. The flap of skin lifts as his too-large dick appears, glistening in the light, and Noctis helplessly snickers as Gladio’s face practically blanches and Ignis is rendered speechless.

“Yeah, it feels as good as it looks,” the prince comments, overcome with a sudden need as he strips and patters past them to the tub eagerly.

Prompto looks up in surprise, smiling when Noctis climbs into the tub and straddles him. “Noct, it’s a little crowded…” he protests, but quiets when the prince rubs back against his cock. “Ah… Okay, buddy, just this once…”

Ignis’s eyes widen in surprise when Noctis messily makes out with Prompto while wantonly rubbing against the merman, and even though they haven’t even remotely began to discuss the implications of this reveal, the Adviser reaches for Gladio so they can exit the bathroom and let the two finish.

Gladio only manages to fall on his ass, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before him and Ignis stops and looks back, captivated as Prompto bites Noctis’s lip and the prince sags against him. Although he should be concerned, Ignis can only watch, his eyes drawn to the more than sufficient sized cock sliding between Noctis’s ass. He can’t imagine how it’ll fit, can’t imagine how it could possibly work, but he watches the way they writhe together, so in sync like they’re sharing a brain, and it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever witnessed.

The water sloshes around and over the edge of the tub, but they can worry about that later. Right now, everyone’s concentrating on the way Prompto slips one clawed-finger carefully inside of Noctis, as if he’s testing something, before he pulls his finger free and gets in position. Ignis nearly calls out in concern that Prompto didn’t even _prep_ Noctis, but when he slides in easily, Ignis mouth practically salivates.

He doesn’t understand – this isn’t _right_ – but he’s so aroused, he wants to yank Noctis off Prompto and takes his place and that…that isn’t computing in his brain. He watches the way Prompto plows into Noctis, hard and rough, but there’s something intoxicating and sensual about the animalistic need the two of them are displaying. Prompto’s growling softly with each thrust, while Noctis takes all of it, limp yet somehow tense, a blissful expression on his face. His lips part with screams that don’t quite make it out, and Prompto holds both his hands by the wrists at his sides, keeping him steady and in place.

Soon, soft whimpers escape Noctis and his eyes slide shut as Prompto kisses him, hot and heavy before he pulls back and watches the prince come. Noctis jerks and shakes as he shoots white across Prompto’s chest, but neither Ignis nor Gladio expect Prompto to just _keep going_. He’s still thrusting with tenacity into Noctis’s limp form before one hand lets go to milk the prince’s still-hard dick, overstimulating him and drawing more whimpers from those soft lips.

Noctis comes two more times – dry – before Prompto _finally _reaches his climax. He comes _hard_, filling Noctis with his seed, watching it leak down his thighs because there’s so much of it. He keeps thrusting, hands moving to grip Noctis’s hips tight until he’s completely spent and his hips finally stop pushing up inside of that tightness. A growl of satisfaction leaves the merman’s lips as he sags back against the tub with Noctis in his arms.

They kiss, slow and loving before Prompto looks lazily to Gladio and licks his lips. “He’s gonna be useless til tomorrow,” he says. “Can you carry him to bed?”

Gladio blinks several times before his brain finally processes the question and he gets to his feet, grabbing a towel before carefully lifting Noctis from Prompto’s lap. He glances at Ignis, whose eyes won’t leave Prompto, but leaves the bathroom without a word to bring Noctis to bed.

It’s like his brain is on automatic. Ignis finds his feet carrying him to the tub, as his hands start undoing his belt, eyes fixed on that still-hard, glistening, blue-green merdick.

Prompto’s eyes are closed, coming down from his high, before the merman realizes he’s not alone and he looks up in surprise in confusion. Ignis’s pants drop and Prompto can’t help a fanged grin.

“Iggy,” he says endearingly. “…I’m gonna need a bit to recover.”

Blinking, Ignis seems to _finally _remember himself and flushes deep as he snatches his pants up from the floor and fixes them with a hard swallow. “O-oh, yes,” he says. “Of course, whatever am I thinking?” He nearly stumbles as he all but flees the bathroom, into the bedroom where Gladio is tucking Noctis into bed.

“I will be going to the potion to get a store,” Ignis announces, still flushed as he gathers his things. “Would I like to join you?”

Gladio lifts an eyebrow at the questions, waiting for Ignis to realize what he said, but the Adviser only turns a deeper shade of red and flies out the door without another word. He’s surprised by Ignis’s reaction, but then again, this was something new for all of them. He crosses the room back to the bathroom, only to find Prompto human again as he drains the tub and grabs a towel to dry off with.

“You win.”

Jumping at the voice, Prompto turns around, baring his nudity to Gladio as he grins back at the big guy. “Yeah?” he asks, walking over to the taller man and standing on his toes to kiss him for the first time without even thinking.

Gladio’s caught off guard by the confidence, but an arm slips around Prompto’s slim nude form and tugs him closer. He thinks to deepen it, but the blond pulls back suddenly, the confidence replaced by unease as he wraps the towel around himself and steps back.

“So, you don’t mind, the um…” he tries to ask, gesturing to himself. “That doesn’t bother you?”

Gladio doesn’t reply right away, wanting to choose his words carefully so that he doesn’t risk offending the other. “I’ll admit it’s…not what I was expectin’,” he finally replies, a smile tugging at one side of his mouth, “but…it’s not the worst thing either. It explains everythin’ and then some.” He leans in and kisses Prompto again. “Plus, I like you.”

Prompto, looking nervous, perks up after the kiss and those last words, holding the towel to his chest. “You do?” he asks softly. “I can stay?”

“Well, I know Noct’s answer, and I know my answer,” Gladio says, “so we’ll just need to wait for Iggy to get back.”

Prompto bites his lip but smiles and nods. He walks past Gladio into the bedroom and gets dressed, much to Gladio’s confusion.

“You goin’ somewhere?” the big guy questions.

“Yeah,” Prompto answers easily, nodding to Noctis. “You should stay with him, I’m gonna go find Ignis and talk to him. Make sure he’s okay.” He looks at Gladio with an expression silently begging Gladio to let him do this, and all Gladio can do is nod.

Prompto’s clearly worried about Ignis’s reaction in more ways than one and if he can find the Adviser, they’ll have a chance to talk.

“Be careful,” Gladio advises, following Prompto to the door. “If you can’t find him, just come back, okay?”

Smiling at the concern, Prompto rises on his toes again and kisses Gladio once more, thanking him before he disappears out the door.

* * *

All the shops are closing for the evening, leaving Prompto at a loss as he looks in vain for his fair-haired companion. He doesn’t know if he knows Ignis well enough to deduce where the other man could be, but with all the shops and restaurants closing, the only place left for him to check is the beach.

Sure enough, Ignis is sitting on the sand staring off into the dark ocean when Prompto spots him and carefully makes his way to him. He tries to make sure he’s seen, lest he accidentally startle Ignis, which would only make things worse right now. Then again, Ignis isn’t mad at him, just…flustered.

Spotting Prompto out of the corner of his eye, Ignis turns to look at him, surprise in his expression before he smiles a little and nods as he looks back out at the ocean. “Gladio send you, did he?”

“No,” Prompto replies. “I came to find you myself. I thought maybe we needed to talk?”

“I am simply embarrassed, Prompto,” Ignis says as he turns his gaze to the blond once more. “Surely you can understand.”

Prompto tries not to grin, nodding instead. “Yeah, but what about me?” he asks in reply. “Are you okay with what I am? What I did to Noct?”

Ignis lets out a soft chuckle, dropping his head for a second. “I had my assumptions from the beginning,” he explains. “I suspected you weren’t human. What you turned out to be, however, was the furthest thing from my mind…” He smiles to himself and shakes his head. “Even though both Gladio and I caught full glimpses of you that first day, we never thought to believe it. But even you are smart enough to know the dangers of messing with the prince in an ill-willed manner, so I trust you, and I believe you really do wish to see the chocobos.”

Prompto smiles as he sits next to Ignis, nodding with a soft smile. “Thank you,” he says after a moment, a warmth budding in his chest. “For everything.”

Turning his head to look at Prompto once again, the soft light of the moon illuminates the blond merman in a very flattering way. He looks ethereal, mysterious, and Ignis can’t help thinking about what he saw in the bathroom. He leans in questioningly, hesitating a couple of inches away, enough to glance up and meet those violet eyes for permission.

Prompto nods, eyes sliding closed as they kiss. Despite having kissed before, it still feels like the first time. His lips tingle as they part and let Ignis in, a soft moan escaping him at the way the other man kisses. He takes charge, tongue expertly tasting him and guiding him, literally sucking Prompto in.

They lay down in the sand and make out for what feels like an eternity. Prompto swears his lips are raw by the time they stop, and although he wants more, something tells him to wait. It surprises him, that he’s willing to wait, but he smiles up and Ignis and thinks about how he wants their first time to be – as a merman, that is.

It’s going to be different than it was with Noctis, he knows that much.

Checking his watch, Ignis tsks softly and pulls off of Prompto, offering him a hand and then helping him to his feet. “It’s rather late,” he explains, keeping Prompto’s hand in his as he nods towards the hotel. “We should get some sleep. I suspect we will be leaving Galdin Quay soon. We need to get you to Wiz’s.”

Prompto smiles in reply, that warmth inside of him spreading at Ignis’s words. He presses close as they walk back to the hotel, fingers intertwined until they reach their room and walk in. Gladio’s snoring in bed next to Noctis and Prompto feels his stomach twist at the idea of sharing the bed with Ignis tonight.

Spotting the blond’s concern, Ignis smiles and gives his hand a squeeze before letting go. “Unlike Noctis, I do not kick,” he advises, plucking off his gloves and setting them on the table before shedding his jacket next.

Prompto’s mouth dries as Ignis continues to undress, sitting on the bed and watching instead of undressing as well. Ignis is clearly pretending not to notice he’s being watched, but his movements change and slow up, and Prompto realizes as nimble fingers start undoing buttons, that Ignis is giving him a show.

As soon as Ignis sheds his shirt and it drops to the floor, Prompto subconsciously licks his lips as his eyes rake over the bare, sculpted form of Ignis. When the other man turns towards him, bare chest and all, and approaches him slowly, hands on his belt, Prompto quickly squirms out of his vest. They kick off their shoes together before Ignis carefully straddles Prompto on the bed and reaches to bring those hands to his belt.

“Would you like the honors?” comes the breathy whisper in Prompto’s ear. Once Prompto nods, the attitude from the dressing room returns. “Undress me.”

Prompto fumbles with the belt at first, still terrible at these things, but with those piercing green eyes on him, it’s even worse. He’s nervous as he pulls the belt free, hands trembling a bit as he moves to undo the button next. Once he’s finished, he pushes Ignis’s pants down, leaving him in nothing but his briefs, but when he looks up and sees that expectant gaze, he blushes in realization.

His fingers dip past the waistband of Ignis’s underwear and pull them down along his toned thighs, and his eyes definitely don’t miss how hard Ignis is, or the way his dick bobs when it’s free from the confines of those briefs. He hesitates, glances up at Ignis, and then leans in, taking the hardened flesh into his mouth.

Surprised, Ignis gasps, grabbing Prompto’s shoulders to steady himself. He looks down, watching Prompto bob his head and establish a rhythm. He’s clearly not skilled at doing this, but he’s trying and Ignis appreciates that wet warmth around his cock, especially after everything he’s seen that night.

“Use your tongue,” he orders softly, letting out a sigh of appreciation when Prompto figures that part out. The wet sounds of Prompto messily slurping is more erotic than it should be, but combined with the sight of that blond head moving along his length helps.

Ignis slides his hands up from Prompto’s shoulders and into his hair, stroking before tangling his fingers in those tufts. “Relax your throat,” he says, waiting and watching until Prompto succeeds and then he thrusts in as gently as he can manage.

Those violet eyes widen and water but look up at Ignis and a smile forms around the cock in his mouth. He moans softly and Ignis shudders at the sensation, thrusting again when Prompto moves his head forward. “Just like that, darling,” he encourages, voice softening as he feels that familiar tension brewing.

With practice, Prompto would be amazing at these in the future, and Ignis feels all-too-willing to help him with that. Together, they move a little faster, wet sounds rising in volume, drool dribbling down Prompto’s chin, Ignis’s fingers tightening painfully in those blond locks before he finally comes, toes curling, breath choking, fingers digging.

Prompto prides himself in managing to catch on, relaxing his throat, taking everything Ignis offers to him. He finds he likes the taste and is more than eager to lick Ignis clean, sucking his sensitive length before he pulls back with a soft purr.

“Was that your first?” Ignis pants as Prompto nods and lays back on the bed.

“First human,” he clarifies with a smirk. “You’re different than merpeople.”

As Ignis crawls over him, like a predator with his prey, Prompto reaches for his hand and presses it to his own erection tenting his pants.

“My turn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much for your reaction to the last chapter, i hope this one doesn't disappoint!
> 
> Please consider donating a ko-fi to help with medical bills (see the link below) <3 and don't forget to leave kudos, comments, and subscribe to the story for updates!
> 
> Also, please consider reading Dreamweaver. That story is getting no love and I'm so proud of it :(


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompto gets scared.  
time to leave galdin quay.  
pit stop by the lake?

When Prompto wakes the next morning, he’s wrapped in unfamiliar arms, pressed up against a body that isn’t Noctis. He blinks and stirs a bit, eyes focusing on the large form of Gladio across the room in the other bed where Prompto should be. When he realizes and remembers that Ignis is behind him, everything rushes back to him and he feels confused, instead of happy, and he doesn’t understand why.

Turning his head carefully, Prompto glances at the sleeping form of Ignis behind him and then back at Gladio, who’s blocking his view of Noctis, and a wave of panic crashes over him.

What was he _doing_ here?

Sure, Noctis hooked him with a chocobo lure he shouldn’t have been chasing in the first place, but it’s been _days_ and he’s not any closer to seeing an actual chocobo. He’d been spending all his time with humans, falling for them, and the sheer stupidity of that was _humiliating_ the longer he thought about it. Of course he didn’t want to be alone anymore, but he was kidding himself if he thought he was going to find his home among _humans_.

He manages to slip from the bed without waking Ignis and dresses as quietly as he can, wishing he didn’t have to dress in the first place, but he can’t leave the room naked.

Stunned he hasn’t woken any of them up, Prompto takes one last look before he hurries to the door and leaves, forgetting to catch it before it slams shut behind him. Spitting out curses, the merman stumbles away and out of the hotel as fast as his human legs can take him. It’ll take them all a while to dress and come after him, he’s got plenty of time to get to the beach and to the cove for privacy so he can transform.

Tears streak his cheeks in the early morning light as he stumbles across the sand. Fortunately, there aren’t many people on the beach this early, but a handful of tourists are scattered around – some fishing, others just walking, so Prompto’s forced to go to the cove regardless. He sniffles and wipes futilely at his face, spewing curses at himself for being so _stupid_. He just wants to go _home_, back to what he knows, and if that means being alone, he’ll deal with it.

Prompto has to slow up when he reaches the rocks that will take him to the cove, but he makes it across without falling and to the spot where he was just with Noctis the day before. The sight of the spot on the sand gives him pause as the feelings well up inside of him. He never asked for this, this wasn’t normal. He is a merman and belongs in the ocean, he’s not supposed to love or _feel _these things for humans the way they do. He’d inserted himself somewhere he didn’t belong – this wasn’t his home.

Just as he finishes undressing, Prompto hears a shout and turns in confusion to see Gladio, Noctis, and Ignis already carefully making their way over the rocks. Noctis is leading them, expression full of confusion and fear as his eyes find Prompto’s and beg the merman for answers.

Trembling, Prompto lets out a feral hiss and runs for the water, stumbling along the way before he manages a leap into the water, transforming midway and disappearing in the waves.

“Prompto!” Noctis shouts, running for the water before Gladio catches up and grabs him by the shoulder.

“Noct, _no_.”

The prince looks up in desperation, tears flooding his eyes. “We can’t just let him _go—_”

“—That is _precisely_ what we must do,” Ignis corrects from behind, expecting the look from Noctis that he gets. “He is _frightened_, Noct. Let him calm down. I believe he will return.”

“When?” Noctis demands as the tears escape. “How much time do we give him before we realize he’s never coming back?” He jerks his shoulder out from under Gladio’s grip and yanks off his clothes much faster than either of his companions expect. He warps out over the water and is chased by their shouts of protest, but as he plunges under the warm salt water, he knows his decision was a stupid one.

He’d witnessed firsthand just how fast Prompto could swim on the day they first met; swimming after him was as futile as looking for a needle in a haystack. It wasn’t going to happen.

He breaches the surface much farther out to sea than he realized he’d warped, but just as he starts to swim back, something sucks him under the water. His yelp of surprise turns into a lungful of sea water, and as he spins and loses all sense of up from down, he realizes he’s caught in the undertow. He tries in vain not to panic, knowing he can get out of this – he _has_ to – but his lungs are burning.

He hates that the last thing he sees before his vision fades, is Prompto.

* * *

Before Ignis can finish undressing, a figure breaches the surface of the water. His heart leaps in his throat, thinking it’s Noctis, but instead it’s Prompto, carrying a limp Noctis in his arms as he swims to the shore. Forgoing the rest of his clothes, Ignis runs into the water still mostly dressed with Gladio in tow, taking Noctis from the merman and running back to the safety of the shore.

Prompto can only watch as they tend to their prince and breath life back into him, torn between leaving and staying to make sure that Noctis is alright. He could leave with no one watching and this would all be over, but he’d never forgive himself if Noctis didn’t make it, if he didn’t know. But he is well aware that if he stays, their anger will eventually come his way. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but would it be so bad if he left before they could tear him apart verbally?

If not for him, none of this would have happened…

Just as he turns to leave, the sound of Noctis sputtering out water and gasping for breath reaches his ears and he looks up in relief to see the prince sitting up with Ignis and Gladio’s help. He’s still watching when all eyes go to him and he hangs in his head in guilt, pushing himself away from the shore to go back into the water.

He hears the splashing before he feels the weight of arms around him and Prompto falls into the water when Noctis practically collapses atop him, begging him not to go.

Confused, Prompto picks himself up with Noctis still on top of him and his eyes find Gladio and Ignis watching a few feet away from where they’re still kneeling. Those gazes, however, are the farthest thing from angry – they’re _concerned_.

Reaching up to pry Noctis off him, Prompto meets his teary-eyed gaze, matched by his own. “I shouldn’t _be _here,” he tries to explain. “I don’t belong.”

His words only serve to make Noctis throw himself against the merman again, clinging to him as he shakes his head. “Don’t you _get_ it?” he all but sobs into Prompto’s shoulder. “We’re not complete without you.”

Prompto reacts to those words as if struck, stiffening under Noctis as he looks up from the prince back to Gladio and Ignis once more. “W-what?” he stammers. “…Why aren’t you mad? You should hate me, you almost died because of me.”

“We’re not thrilled, but Noct’s the idiot who warped out into the undertow,” Gladio says as he approaches, helping the scowling prince off the merman before offering his hand to Prompto. “You didn’t make him do that.”

Prompto looks at his hand before noticing Ignis walking over as well. “Forgive us, Prompto,” he says. “You have absorbed a lot since you’ve been with us. You were bound to feel overwhelmed at some point.”

“It just felt so natural,” Noctis adds, drawing those violet eyes back to him. “It felt like you belonged, like you’d always been here. I forgot about the chocobos, I just wanted to be with you.”

“As did I,” Ignis agrees softly, earning a smile from Gladio.

“Same,” comes the deep affirmation.

Prompto’s gaze drops in confusion before he shakes his head, unable to process this. “This isn’t _normal_.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Noctis says, dropping onto his heels in front of Prompto and taking the merman’s face in his hands, “but no one’s saying it has to be. You’re our missing piece.”

Prompto looks from Noctis, to Gladio’s hand, and then to Ignis before tears well up in his eyes again. Had he found his home? Were these people really who was meant to be his family? Willing to forgive, willing to accept him into their lives, willing to help him fulfill a dream he’d had for so long that he’d never expected to fill?

As he’s encased in the soft glow of magic that makes him human again, Prompto’s tears start falling again as Noctis wraps him a hug. “I’m so sorry,” he sobs against the prince as he feels another arm encompass him and he smells Gladio’s cologne, which answers that question.

“Hush,” Noctis replies, pulling back to look at Prompto. “It’s okay. I’m okay. We’re all okay.”

Ignis hands the young blond his clothes with a soft smile. “Should you ever need to breathe, just let us know,” he says as Prompto takes his clothes back. “We will wait for you.”

* * *

Prompto’s still a little dazed and subdued as they return to the hotel, order breakfast, and start packing. He watches them, stunned by their willingness to forgive if it meant him staying – he’s still trying to understand. He stays behind while they lug stuff out to the _Regalia_, watching from the balcony as he stares down at the camera in his hands.

“You are far more important to us than you realize,” a voice speaks up from behind, and Prompto jumps in surprise, nearly dropping the camera as Ignis steps onto the balcony with him. “Your attachment to us scared you, but…we’ve grown to truly appreciate your presence here with us. When we realized you had left, it scared all of us more than we expected.”

Prompto stares down at the camera for a long moment before he looks up at Ignis, heart pounding. “I don’t understand,” he whispers. “…I… I come from a place where we mate and we have mates, but this…these feelings…” His face scrunches and he turns away. “I don’t understand them.” He holds the camera to his chest. “…I told Noctis I loved him… I…”

Ignis’s face softens at those words, but he hesitates to speak lest he sound patronizing instead of comforting. “What Noct said on the beach,” he finally says after a moment, “about you being our missing piece… I am inclined to agree with him.” He steps closer and turns towards Prompto, waiting for the blond to look up at him. “Before you arrived, we were falling apart and we were unsure of how to fix things. The decision was made to come on this trip, spend some time together, perhaps clear our heads and mend things outside of the city. Since your arrival, things…dare I say, feel _normal_ again. It’s as if you balance us all out.”

“But what about after the chocobos,” Prompto replies, fingering the camera again. “What about when your trip ends and you have to go to your home?”

“That is up to you.” Ignis steps closer and lifts Prompto’s chin. “No one is forcing you to stay, just as no one will force you to leave. Should our home become yours, I do not expect anyone to complain.”

Prompto’s eyes water as the Adviser bends to kiss him, but his tears don’t fall this time. His fear eases the longer his lips stay pressed to Ignis’s, and he thinks that maybe he’ll be okay after all.

* * *

They leave Galdin Quay around mid-morning, and although Prompto wants to stay awake and take pictures, their emotional morning left him exhausted and he falls asleep in the front seat. By the time he comes to, the car is slowing up and he hears a noise he doesn’t recognize. It turns out the roof of the car has been raised and it’s raining, slowing their progress to Wiz’s.

“We should probably stop,” Gladio suggests from the backseat. “Storm looks pretty nasty.”

“Uh, we’re in the middle of _nowhere_,” Noctis points out from beside him, frowning out the window as Ignis pulls the car to the side of the road and pulls out a map from the glove compartment in front of Prompto.

“Excuse me, darling,” he says softly as he glances over the map. “Well, there _is_ a haven just up the road. And it’s next to a lake.” He looks over the rim of his glasses and smiles at Prompto before collective groans from the backseat furrow his brow.

“Iggy, I love campin’, but this weather _sucks_,” the big guy complains.

“Gladio, you were the one who suggested we stop in the first place,” Ignis reminds. “I agree it is hardly ideal, but I’d rather not risk the road in this weather same as you.”

All eyes go to Prompto, waiting for him to weigh in, but the blond frowns and shies away from them. “…I, um, I don’t want us getting hurt trying to get me to the chocobos…”

“The haven it is,” Ignis decides as he folds up the map and puts it away, glaring over his shoulder when Noctis kicks his seat in protest. “Keep that up, Highness, and you may walk to the haven.”

When he turns his head, Noctis sticks his tongue out, but finds Prompto watching and blushes as he looks out the window.

They make it to the haven, and although the rain lessens to a muggle drizzle, distant thunder tells them more is coming. They hurry to erect the tent and get things set up before the rain starts again and just when Prompto starts to apologize for this misery, he’s quickly quieted by the other three.

When the storm arrives, Prompto watches with Noctis in awe, something different about the storms on land versus what he’s seen at sea, but when it finally loses its appeal, he joins the others as they teach him card games. Turns out, he’s a bit of a natural, and Gladio’s a bit of a sore loser.

Unfortunately it’s still raining by the time dinner rolls around, keeping Ignis from making them anything decent to eat. But it gives Gladio the opportunity to introduce Prompto to Cup Noodles for the first time since he’d joined their trip. Even Ignis rolls his eyes as Gladio gushes about his sodium-rich guilty pleasure, but he’s in the minority once again – Prompto loves Cup Noodles, too.

Things feel back to normal by the time they’re ready for sleep. Noctis falls asleep with his head on Ignis’s shoulder, while Gladio reads by the light of the lantern. Prompto’s playing with his camera before he looks up and finds everyone has dozed off. A soft smile grows on his face as he takes a couple of pictures before he looks back at Ignis and bites his lip in thought.

Carefully, he gets up and taps the Adviser’s shoulder, trying his best not to wake Noctis.

“He sleeps like a rock, you should know this by now,” Ignis murmurs, lifting his head to regard the merman. “Is something the matter?’

“Come with me to the lake?” Prompto whispers, eyes shining in the dim light.

Regarding the blond for a long moment, Ignis nods and gently lowers Noctis onto the sleeping bag before Prompto takes his hand and leads him quietly out of the tent. The path from the haven to the lake is worn and visible in the dark, and by the time the reach the shore, the clouds have broken and the moon illuminates the area.

Prompto is nervous – this feels different with Ignis than it ever has with Noctis. The prince is a lot like him in demeanor and age, but Ignis is older and refined and, no offense to Noctis, absolutely breathtaking. But he wants this, just as much as he wants Noctis, just as much as he hopes to someday with Gladio.

Without speaking, Prompto undresses and steps into the water. It’s cold but it doesn’t bother him as he turns to face Ignis once he’s waist deep, transforming and slipping down into it. He offers a webbed hand to the Adviser, smiling tentatively as his confidence builds. He’s in his element now; he gets to show Ignis his world.

For Ignis, the hunger is building. He wonders how intimate being with Prompto could possibly turn out, how long it could stay romantic before it turns wild and animalistic – not that there’s anything wrong with it. But Ignis can’t help himself and he hates it. Something about seeing what the saw made him crave it like nothing he’s ever wanted and now he’s getting the opportunity to have it.

His eyes fall to that outstretched hand and he’s undressing before he knows it. The rain has chilled the air, he knows that water is cold, but as he sets his glasses atop his clothes, he stops caring about anything meant to distract him.

Ignis steps into the water, breath quickening at its chill, but he pushes it to the back of his mind as he takes Prompto’s hand and swims with him out into the lake. Prompto pulls him close and there’s a weird shift in the dynamic between them as the merman shares a coy smile.

As Prompto moves even closer to kiss him, Ignis feels his dick pressing against him and an explosion of arousal surges with him, and he gasps when those fangs prick his lip. He pulls back in surprise, lifting a hand from the water to touch his lip before the water grows warm around him and the arousal _burns_.

_Now_, he understands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <33 sorry if this chapter seems a bit disjoined.
> 
> please consider donating ko-fis to help with medical bills, i will write ficlets if you donate <3
> 
> also please consider reading dreamweaver. that fic is not getting enough love and i'm so proud of it D: 
> 
> ...also don't forget to leave kudos and comments and subscribe to the fic for updates <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fair warning: you're gonna need a towel.

It’s a curious feeling, Ignis thinks, as the venom overcomes him, as the desire rages and the arousal burns. The way his body slacks, the way he _yearns_, and he understands more and more by the minute what he witnessed the other evening between Noctis and Prompto.

Ignis, however, is not one to be handled the way Prompto’s natural wild side wants to. It’s not in his nature to let anyone but Gladio be this way with him, but he’s not mad at Prompto – there’s no way the other could have known this. He wants that dick, though. He’s wanted it since he saw it and he wants Prompto to _destroy _him.

But on Ignis’s terms. And something tells him, despite the venomous haze, that Prompto will comply.

A finger slips inside of him, clawed, but even though it doesn’t hurt, Ignis can tell the merman is being careful with his sharp digit. He’s fascinated by the concept of the toxin working on his body this way, causing him to react in ways he doesn’t expect. He can _feel_ the way his body is slacking and relaxing, ready for the onslaught of a too-big cock. He feels numb and tingly, but he’s fighting the haze in order to do what he wants.

Reaching around, Ignis grips Prompto’s wrist before the merman can pull his finger free, and the gesture earns the Adviser a hiss of surprise. His world spins as he turns his head but he manages to level his gaze on those violet-blue eyes and get his message across.

“You will make me come with this finger before you put that dick in me,” he slurs out, shuddering at the way Prompto’s eyes darken at those words and feeling the way that giant cock twitches against him.

Hissing again, Prompto waits for Ignis to let go before he shoves his finger back inside, slipping another to join it, rutting against the taller man before Ignis’s reaches back with both hands and still the merman’s hips.

“You will do it without pleasuring yourself,” Ignis commands, tilting his head back onto Prompto’s shoulder and exposing his neck, a breathy moan escaping his lips when those fingers resume their movements. “Are you able to put the fangs away? I rather enjoy a good _bite_.”

“I can bite without the venom,” Prompto quickly explains, pressing close and biting that long slender unmarked neck as he slips a third finger in.

“Ah! Now that’s a _good boy_,” Ignis breathes drunkenly as one leg stretches to hook around Prompto’s tail as best he can for an anchor. He’s flexible enough and this isn’t terribly uncomfortable, so he uses the leverage to grind into those clawed fingers. “Hand in my hair, darling. _Pull it._”

A pleased hiss escapes Prompto’s blue-tinged lips as he reaches up with his free hand and tangles it in Ignis’s wet sandy locks. He tugs hard and Ignis jerks against him, a breathy wanton moan following.

“_Keep biting_.”

And Prompto complies. Each command he obeys, each shower of praise feeding his desire and need to pleasure the other man against him. He knows the payoff is coming, _knows_ he is going to wreck Ignis, and it is the most arousing thing he’s experienced yet.

Humans are turning out to be quite the creature.

His cock is _aching_, painful, by the time Ignis commands another bite and harder thrusts of his fingers, interspersed with tugs of his hair. He feels Ignis’s hands on his hips still and is stunned the other man isn’t touching himself, but then he thinks about it and no, of course not. Ignis wants them _both_ to work for it.

“Make me come,” the Adviser pants, voice thready and hoarse. “Now_._”

And all at once, Prompto finds an unmarked spot on the other man’s neck and bites down, tugging his hair and shoving his fingers deep against that spot both humans and mermen share. Ignis swallows the primal scream that wants to come out, the pleasure heightened by his inebriated state caused by the venom as the world shakes beneath him even though he’s suspended in water. The sky explodes with light, the stars align, everything screams with him and this was before that dick even touched him.

Ignis slumps back against Prompto as he comes down from the high, but he’s still rock-hard and he can’t help a winded smile.

“Oh, darling,” he purrs, reaching up behind him to stroke Prompto’s hair. “Such a good boy…” He pushes back against those fingers as they slip out of him as easiy as if he were lubed. “Now you may fuck me.”

Prompto doesn’t even hesitate. He shifts back, positions himself, and slams in, spearing Ignis in one go. It renders the other man speechless, mouth agape, before he chokes out a moan and reaches up and around to anchor a hand on the back of Prompto’s neck.

It’s too much and not enough all at once. He’s filled, so incredibly filled, each thrust striking that spot inside of him and threatening to undo him over and over and over. And yet, he wants _more_. He _needs_ more. He’s enamored and aroused by Prompto’s power and strength, the way his body works to pleasure them both in the water with such ease and skill is beyond words.

Ignis sags back against the merman, panting and whimpering and moaning, something he _never_ does with Noctis, and only _rarely_ does with Gladio. Prompto is neither of them, and Ignis stops comparing. Prompto is his own person and rightly so with that dick.

Grip tightening painfully around the back of Prompto’s neck, Ignis tugs him down for a wet messy kiss, his eyes are in the back of his head, he can’t see straight. He comes hard and dry mid-kiss, and feels one of Prompto’s hands leave his throat to drag those long claws down his torso.

He hisses, pleasured despite the pain, and then yanks that hand up to his neck as he breaks from the kiss to command Prompto with his eyes. Prompto doesn’t even have to ask – his expression is wild and animalistic as he squeezes Ignis’s throat and thrashes against him, the water splashing around them as he fucks Ignis hard and chokes him.

Overstimulated but enragingly aroused, Ignis comes again, shaking hard against Prompto as his vision fades. He taps the merman’s hand but it takes a couple more seconds before the merman realizes himself and releases Ignis’s throat. He returns his hand to Ignis’s hips as the Adviser sucks in air, slacking against him, content to be used for nothing more than Prompto’s orgasm at this rate, and he’s never wanted anything more.

Prompto’s growl reach a feral state as he thoroughly fucks the man against him, wishing he could make this last longer. He’s still thrusting as he makes his way back to the shore, lays in the gentle waves, and with Ignis atop him, slams into him until his release finally comes.

Exposed to the night air, Ignis lets the chill wash over him as he’s filled with Prompto’s seed. A warmth so satisfying, it’s like nothing he’s ever experienced. There’s so much of it. He rolls his hips as he feels a second wind, milking Prompto’s dick for everything it’s worth, even though it’s running down his legs. He sags back against the merman, beyond spent yet somehow wanting more, but he can’t speak and can only take one of Prompto’s clawed hands to thread their fingers as his vision fades.

This time, he’s losing consciousness, but he knows he’ll be okay.

* * *

When he wakes up, he’s back in the tent. It’s morning. There’s a light breeze flowing through the open flaps of the tent, and he hears Noctis talking, followed by Prompto’s laugh. Ignis tries to sit up, but his strength fails him and he’s rather embarrassed by it.

Just as he thinks he’s doomed to wait until one of his companions comes to check on him, Gladio’s tall form ducks through the tent’s opening and smiles when he sees Ignis is awake. “Don’t try to get up,” he says as he walks over to the other beds and plucks the pillows from each one. “Prompto said it was intense last night. That you might need more time to recover than usual.”

Ignis blinks in surprise but manages a nod and quiet thank you when Gladio helps him sit up with the help of the pillows. A part of him feels terribly guilty, like he cheated on Gladio – yet not Noctis for some reason – and he reaches to stop the other man, grabbing his hand.

“Gladio,” he croaks and blushes when his voice fails him.

“Yeah, uh, you got a nice bruise.” A pause. “And…a _lot_ of bites.”

Touching his throat with his other hand, Ignis’s blush deepens and he squeezes Gladio’s hand harder. “Please forgive me.”

“For what?” Gladio asks in confusion, sitting down on the edge of the cot. “As long as you’re okay, it sounds like you had a good time.”

Ignis winces, hating that he feels this way. “…I always thought what you and I had was…something rather special,” he whispers. “I suppose I feel like I shared it without considering you in the matter.”

Gladio actually smiles and reaches with his free hand to lift Ignis’s chin. “It’s pretty freakin’ adorable when you get like this, you know?” he teases as Ignis scowls before the big guy grows serious. “What you and I got will always be special. No one’s gonna take that away. Just like what you, and me, have with Noct. And now Prompto. And when I finally get to bag the merman, that’ll be special too.”

“Forgive me for being adorable, then,” Ignis whispers, smiling against those lips when Gladio kisses him.

“I’ll get soup and a potion,” the Shield says as he rises to his feet. “They’re gonna go fishin’. I figured I could stay here and read to you. Haven’t done that in a while.”

“Who cooked?” Ignis asks in surprise, still whispering.

“I did,” Gladio huffs. “You’re not the only one who can cook around here.”

Ignis is speechless as Gladio ducks out of the tent. He can’t remember the last time the other man voluntarily cooked something other than Cup Noodles, and something touches his heart that Gladio wanted to take care of them, take care of _all _of them it sounded like, while Ignis was indisposed.

It may have been a silly thing to feel emotional over, but Ignis has to wipe his tears before Gladio returns.

In between the soup, the potion, and Gladio’s surprisingly soothing way of reading poetry, Ignis feels worlds better by the afternoon. He naps against Gladio’s broad solid warm body and wakes to find the other man has fallen asleep too. His eyes roam the tanned, scarred face of the prince’s Shield and appreciates him all the more for being here like he is right now, loving him.

It feels like Prompto really is bringing them together and filling in the gaps that had somehow grown between them.

* * *

That evening, Ignis manages to get out of bed and cook them a nice, hearty dinner. He cooks steaks and potatoes and makes a thick gravy that has Prompto drooling over himself for more of. Things feel right, they feel _normal_.

So normal, that although Ignis eyes Prompto across the fire, it’s Noctis who slides into his lap and kisses him. He’s surprised at first – they haven’t been intimate since right before they met Prompto, but Noctis is a man on a mission and Ignis can’t turn him down. He stands with Noctis still wrapped around him, shocked that he has the strength after the way his morning had started, and carts him off into the tent, which Gladio is kind enough to zip up behind them.

“See?” he says as he starts cleaning up the dirty dishes. “Look what you do to us.”

“Huh?” Prompto asks, confused and concerned by that wording.

Gladio laughs softly as noises flutter out from within the tent. “That, you do _that_ to us,” he clarifies, pointing as he goes over to sit next to Prompto. “That’s how it used to be. So effortless, so easy. We knew where we stood and what we wanted and how we felt. Along the way, though, somethin’ got lost and we…just couldn’t figure out how to fix it.”

Prompto gazes at the tent, an almost lost expression on his face that Gladio notices, but doesn’t comment on right away.

“I know you have a home, blondie, but…” The big guy shrugs. “We’d all be more than happy if you thought about makin’ one with us.” He offers Prompto his hand, tilting his head and when Prompto finally takes it, he tugs the blond into his lap and smiles at that gasp. “You walk a lot better, too. You’re gonna be a pro by the time we get to the ranch.”

Prompto looks down at that broad face, settling in his lap and blushing when the sounds of sex ooze out from the tent. He wants to say something, anything, but nothing comes. He wants to be worried, but he finds there’s nothing to worry about. In between their disastrous moment of terror at the beach yesterday, and last night at the lake, and now Gladio’s little pep talk, Prompto wonders why he ever questioned being with any of them.

This _is_ his home. If he went back now, the only comfort would be the empty sea, something they could bring him to any time he wanted. And he doesn’t want to go back to no one. He has a family now, friends. Lovers.

People who _want_ him, merman and all.

And each day he learns more, and feels more, and wants more. And he gets it. He gets it with them.

With a sudden surge of emotion, Prompto leans in and kisses Gladio, holding his face in his hands. He can’t speak, he still doesn’t know what to say, so he’ll express it another way and by the way those big arms enclose around him, Prompto knows the other man understands. The sounds coming from within the tent only fuel their libidos, and Prompto’s hands are in Gladio’s hair as the kiss deepens and Gladio practically mouth-fucks him with his tongue. It’s hot and messy and _just_ how he should kiss.

In just a few short minutes, Gladio’s hand slips past the waistband of Prompto’s jeans to grip his ass and pull him close, and the blond writhes against him, needy and feeling almost as horny as he would on his toxin. He wonders if humans have some of their own, and if Gladio manufactures it himself. He can feel Gladio’s length against his own, both trapped and confined by their pants, begging for more.

“If we hurry,” he whimpers against Gladio’s lips. “We can catch up to them.”

Gladio pulls back in surprise, lifting an eyebrow. “Kid, Noct’s stamina is kinda low, I’m stunned he hasn’t come already.”

Prompto makes a face at Gladio and pushes back into that hand gripping his ass – there’s no time to argue. “That’s why I said we should _hurry_.”

Gladio’s eyebrow is matched by the other, and no more words are spoken as hands fly over belts to push their pants down and out of the way. A flash of light from the Armiger and Gladio has lube and condoms in his hands as Prompto wraps a hand around that cock he’s been eyeing for days.

He may be bigger in merform, but he’s already aware of how close Gladio comes to him in size. He could give him a run for his money if he really wanted, and just as he realizes they can’t rush the way he wants them to – that Gladio has to prep him – a curious thought comes to mind.

Concentrating on his magic, Prompto focuses on just his fangs and feels himself shift in a different way. Gladio senses the magic and pulls back, blinking when Prompto’s merman features stare back at him.

“Uh…”

“Trust me,” Prompto hisses with a pleased fanged smile, biting his lip to infect himself with the toxin. It’s different yet familiar. Whenever he bites a mate, he feels the effects without the haze, the arousal without the numbing, the fire without the almost paralytic effect. He starts to feel those things now and it burns so _good_. Sure enough, he feels the way he opens up and he takes Gladio’s hand and brings it to his ass. “Feel…”

Gladio stares, perplexed, before he realizes what Prompto wants to do and slips a finger inside, unable to stop the intrigued growl that rumbles out of his throat when his finger just slides _right _in.

“Hurry…” Prompto whines with a sudden need, eyes fluttering as he places his hands on those broad shoulders and rolls his hips. “You…don’t need to get me ready…”

Gladio reaches for the condoms but Prompto hisses.

“You don’t need those. I cannot catch or give your human diseases. I want you to _fill_ me.”

Those words are strangely erotic and Gladio figures he’s stalled long enough. Prompto saved them time with his strange transformation, but that wet warmth awaiting him is as intoxicating as the venom coursing through Prompto’s veins.

Gripping Prompto’s ass, Gladio spreads his cheeks and slides right in and Prompto lets out a filthy moan against his lips, sounding practically drunk with pleasure. He rocks up into that still-tight ass, slick with a wetness that Gladio doesn’t understand, but doesn’t question. It feels incredible, and by now, his main concern is that the chair won’t hold them long enough.

It’s a _fold-up_.

But it’s a passing thought now. Prompto’s hips roll and grind as he picks himself up and sits down hard onto that thick cock slamming up into him. The toxin fights to mute him, stifle his screams, but they break free and echo into the night, rivaling what Ignis and Noctis are generating from within the tent.

Together, their voice meld in a deep, sexual melody – the bass rumble of Gladio’s growls, the tenor breathy moans of Ignis, the alto cries of Noctis, and Prompto’s soprano screams. It’s a shame they aren’t in view of each other, able to appreciate the song they’ve created, but Prompto thinks ‘next time’ and focuses on the sound of Gladio fucking him.

His orgasm comes faster than he expected, but he’s so enraptured by the pleasure of riding Gladio in half-form, wet and dripping, he doesn’t think to stop it. But the toxin saves him as he clenches around Gladio, who fucks him through his orgasm as he sags against the other man, still hard and needing more.

Gladio has the stamina of a Dualhorn on steroids and isn’t ready to quit. He lifts them up from the chair, which is fixing to collapse on them anyway, before he lays Prompto down on the ground – carefully despite the urgency of their situation – and slams back in.

Prompto is all but a ragdoll at this point, but he’s loving every second of it. Gladio’s hips piston into him in a way that makes him jealous that water doesn’t give him this sort of leverage with his tail. The overstimulation has him weeping with pained pleasure and he begs for more, dull nails clawing at Gladio’s clothed back. The stone floor beneath him is hardly comfortable, but it’s erotically perfect and Prompto doesn’t care.

It feels like tortured glorious _ages_ when Gladio comes _hard_ with an almost frenzied growl, thrusting deep into Prompto, slow and languid, again and again and again before his hips freeze, flush against those reddened globes, and fill him with his release.

Prompto moans and whimpers and barely finds the strength to squirm before he sags against the stone floor of the haven, panting and useless. Even Gladio takes a full minute to recover, head drooped against Prompto’s shoulder as his body heaves with breaths his body should be more than conditioned to take.

“Fuckin’ _Six_…”

And Prompto’s a cheeky bastard. He grins through his exhaustion and pats one arm braced over him.

“I know, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay. i have felt horrendously uninspired and down this past week.
> 
> if you would consider reading my other fics, that would be appreciated t :)
> 
> thank you all for your continued support of this fic. readership has gone down this past chapter or two, so please please PLEASE leave a comment - there isn't anything that would be too dumb or silly that I wouldn't appreciate <3 I really want to hear y'alls thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they finally reach the chocobo ranch.  
prompto has the time of his life.  
and gladio makes a big gesture.

They wake up in a pile on the floor of the tent. Pillows and blankets cushion them, cots folded up and shoved in the corner. Prompto’s squished between Noctis and Gladio, Ignis is curled up against Noctis protectively.

It’s perfect.

Prompto is the first of them to actually wake up, eyes fluttering open to the nearby sound of dew drops falling from the trees like rain. He can tell there’s a chill in the air but with the furnace that is Gladio behind him, he feels warm and content. He thinks about last night, the strange intriguing symphony the four of them played that sealed their fates and he feels tears in his eyes before he can help it.

There’s something strong and definitive about what they did, something that tells Prompto there’s no turning back now, if he had any more doubts.

He supposes knowing that he’s built a home here is less daunting than he had expected, and with a smile, he relaxes back against Gladio, prepared to fall back asleep. But Noctis decides to wake up at that moment, and those blue eyes find Prompto’s and they smile at each other.

“You ready for the chocobos today?” the prince whispers.

And although he is, Prompto realizes with a sudden awareness that he’d stopped _really _caring about whether they’d ever get there days ago. But with everything falling into place between the four of them, the excitement starts to return, and he nods at Noctis with enthusiasm.

“You better be,” a voice rumbles teasingly from behind Prompto.

“Gladio, behave,” Ignis chimes in. “We should arrive today, although any riding may have to wait until tomorrow. I do hope that’s alright with you, Prompto?”

Once the Adviser lifts his head to look at the blond, Prompto smiles at him and nods again. “I’d be happy with just seeing them,” he whispers. “We…we get to ride them?”

Noctis grins at Prompto’s shock at the news and props himself up on one arm to look at the merman. “As much as we want,” he confirms. “You can pick one for yourself and call it whenever you want. They’ll give you a whistle, it’s really cool. I’d show you but we haven’t exactly kept our rental payments up to date.”

“A problem I no longer see us having with Prompto’s generous donations,” Ignis adds as he sits up and reaches for his bag to get dressed. “Shall we get up and eat so we can be our way, gentlemen?”

“I’m gonna go wash up at the lake,” Gladio announces as he sits up. “Wanna join me, chocobo?”

Prompto meets Noctis’s eyes and shakes his head as he turns to look up at Gladio. “Not this time, buddy,” he replies, smiling at the disappointment in those amber eyes. “You’ll be okay.”

Gladio huffs out a laugh but smiles with a nod as he rises in all his naked glory to grab his dirty jeans to dress and a change of clothes for later, disappearing out the tent with Ignis in tow. Prompto catches a glimpse of them kissing before the tent flaps fall back into place, and he turns his attention back to Noctis with a smile.

“What happens after the chocobo ranch?” he asks curiously with an air of apprehension. He doesn’t want to ruin all this happiness and love, but although both Ignis and Gladio have assured him he has a home here, a part of him needs to hear it from Noctis too.

“Whatever we want,” Noctis answers with another smile. “You can stay with us, go back to your cove.” He bites his lip and Prompto watches the prince reach for him and curl a hand around the back of his neck, fingers stroking. “…I’ll try to understand if you want to go back.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Prompto asks, trying not to give away how he feels or what he wants Noctis to say, but he watches those blue eyes studying him for some sign.

“Yes,” comes the honest answer. “I want to be selfish and I want you to let us keep you to ourselves forever. But…I’ll try to understand if that’s not what you want.”

“Of course that’s what I want.” Prompto has to smile at the relief that blossoms across the prince’s face. “It took me way too long to figure out there’s nothing for me back home. Just a vast empty sea of loneliness and stupid gold thingies.” It’s his turn to bite his lip, reminded of the hook that pierced it and started all this. “I…I’d like to make my home yours.”

Noctis laughs softly, relieved, and tugs Prompto against himself, kissing him. “You got it, Prom,” he breathes. “We’ll show you everything there is to see. You’ll never run out of things to take pictures of, I promise.”

“And we can see the chocobos whenever?” Prompto asks, feeling the excitement grow again.

“Well, we’d have to make a roadtrip, but I don’t see that being a problem.”

They both laugh and kiss until Ignis calls them for breakfast, and they hurry to dress and join the Adviser outside in the chilly morning air.

Gladio joins them not long after they’ve started eating, looking like the cold doesn’t bother him one bit especially after a swim in the lake. He just grins and eats his breakfast, and once they’ve all finished, they quickly break down camp and load up the _Regalia_.

Prompto eagerly takes his place in the front seat, camera at the ready even though Ignis has to raise the roof of the _Regalia_ due to the chill in the air. With the roof up and the car warm, Ignis gives in to Noctis’s nagging and turns on the radio, and a song comes on that even he has to quietly mumble the words to because although he refuses to sing along, it’s too catchy not to.

Watching with a smile, Prompto takes a picture as the prince reassures him they’ll teach him the words, but he’s more fascinated by the concept of the songs in the first place. This isn’t like anything he’s really ever experienced, and he learns very quickly that he _loves_ human music.

They stop briefly for lunch as Ignis informs them they’re only about an hour away, but stomachs are growling when they spot a stop ahead with a Crow’s Nest, yet another new thing for them to expose Prompto to.

Although they’re hungry, Noctis’s first stop is the King’s Knight machine just inside, and Prompto watches with fascination as the prince blows the current top score out of the water and pretty much demolishes the game. He smiles at the shocked expression on the merman’s face and sacrifices one of his lives to let Prompto have a turn.

Prompto flounders at first, but in between Noctis’s guidance and Gladio, who appears behind him to give him pointers, he picks up the gist of the game with more ease than any of them expect. It’s yet another thing that puts them at ease, that Prompto really is meant to be with them.

When Prompto burns through the rest of his lives in the game, the four of them take a seat and order burgers, all of them assuring Prompto of their excellence.

“Should we pick up a hunt?” Gladio asks out of habit before he laughs. “Never mind, forgot we don’t need the money.”

“…A hunt?” Prompto asks, looking curiously at each of them.

“Mm, there’s a club of sorts,” Ignis explains with a nod. “Troublesome monsters bother those who do not have the means to handle them. They post a mark, we accept the hunt, and handle the beasts for a price. We haven’t had the need to do so with your generous doubloon donation, although it would be good practice to pick one up every now and then.”

“…But Prompto doesn’t know how to fight,” Noctis reminds softly, hating to bring it up but the last thing any of them wants is to put Prompto in danger.

“Not on land,” Prompto corrects with a smile, understanding that Noctis means well.

“There’s the Armiger to consider as well,” Ignis adds as an afterthought, glancing at the blond across the table. “Perhaps you can join our ranks, should you choose, Prompto.”

Blinking at all the information being spouted, Prompto nods before he looks at Noctis. “You guys would teach me to fight?” he asks. “And…kill monsters?” He frowns at a thought when they nod. “…Creatures like me?”

“N-no!” Noctis protests, quick to reassure the blond at his side. “Super wild animals that hurt innocent people. They’re nasty and big.” He bites his lip, worried he’s not making his case at all. “They’re nothing like you.”

“And for the record,” Gladio says, waiting for Prompto to look at him. “We never would’ve hunted you, or killed you. That’s not what we do.”

Prompto holds his face for as long as he can before his poker face breaks and he laughs. “You guys know I’m just fucking with you, right?”

Noctis lets out a huge sigh and slumps over the table, but he’s laughing after a moment and even Ignis holds up a hand to cover his smile.

“Thank the _Six_,” Gladio groans, laughing as his head falls back.

Their food arrives a few minutes later and Prompto announces with a biteful of burger, that they are his new favorite thing. Noctis takes the vegetables off his and puts them on Ignis’s plate, but for once, the Adviser lets him.

There’s something so normal about this and he doesn’t want a single thing to change.

* * *

It’s midafternoon when Ignis turns down a road shaded with trees and announces that they’ve arrived. Prompto nearly leaps out of his seat before a strong hand holds him back as Gladio’s laugh booms out from behind him. It got warm enough to lower the roof of the _Regalia_, but none of them want an accident due to Prompto being overeager.

The camera snaps away as Ignis parks the car, but Prompto lets out a sound that sounds like a strangled squeak and bolts across the lot to a fenced-off area containing multiple chocobos. He hears the others call after him, but his focus is set on nothing but the big birds in front of him, _kwehing_ to each other as they ruffle their feathers and pace the pen.

He doesn’t even realize there are tears in his eyes until one falls and although the girl minding the pen sees it, she opts not to comment as she offers him a handful of something.

“Wanna feed them?”

Prompto looks to her in surprise, heart stuck in his throat as he manages a nod, realizing whatever she’s holding is some kind of feed for the chocobos. He holds out his hands and takes what she has to offer, turning back to the pen at her guidance.

“First time?” she asks.

“Y-yeah…”

“Don’t worry, they’re real gentle,” she assures. “Just hold your hands out. One’ll come over.”

Doing as instructed, Prompto hears the others come up behind him as one of the tall birds spots him and meanders over. With a soft _kweh_ of approval, the bird bends down to peck from Prompto’s hands and the blond has to fight not to squeal with delight. He feels Noctis take the camera from him and doesn’t mind one bit when he realizes the prince is taking a picture. He wants this moment to last forever, a dream he never thought for one second could come true.

“Well, Prompto, we managed to arrive earlier than I anticipated,” Ignis says from behind. “Would you like to ride them?”

Prompto can’t take his eyes off the chocobo still pecking from his hands, but he nods fervently. “Can I ride this one?” he asks.

“Sure can,” the girl says before leaving to get the bird ready.

“We’ll go get our birds and be right back,” Noctis says. “You gonna be okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Prompto breathes, enamored as the chocobo finishes the feed in his hand. He reaches to pet its face, laughing as more happy tears fall and Noctis takes more pictures.

When the girl returns to ready the chocobo, Prompto watches with a quiet fascination until she beckons him over. Just as he hesitantly approaches her, Noctis and the others return on their chocobos, all various colors that he didn’t know these birds could be. Noctis’s is a dark grey, Ignis a brilliant white, and Gladio’s is black. Prompto looks back at his beautiful golden-yellow chocobo and smiles at how perfectly they match their birds.

“Now don’t be scared,” the girl reassures. “They’re real easy to ride and although they might get finicky, they hardly ever buck you off.” She smiles and offers her hand to Prompto. “Put your foot here and climb on. I think your friends can show you the rest.”

Prompto does as shown, managing to get on in one try much to his relief. He’d been terrified his lack of coordination would have him faceplanting the ground and after all the work he’d put in to walking better, that’s the last thing he wanted. He sits atop the chocobo and a feeling he can’t quite describe overcomes him as the sound of Noctis snapping more pictures reaches him.

“How is it, chocobo?” Gladio asks.

Prompto tries to answer, but finds that he has no words. He can only reach forward and stroke the chocobo’s feathers, memorizing the touch as Ignis walks his chocobo up beside him.

“It’s very simple, Prompto,” he says with a smile. “Just squeeze with your heels to get him to move forward, and again if you wish to go faster, but for now, let’s stay at a slow pace. Going faster requires some further instruction, alright?”

Nodding, Prompto gently squeezes with his heels and lets out a sound of surprise when the Chocobo moves forward, a gentle walking pace that Noctis and the others follow. Ignis remains at his side, smiling again in approval.

“You’re a natural, Prom!” Noctis calls from behind, carefully taking more pictures as Ignis continues instructing the merman.

Once Prompto feels comfortable with the walking pace, Ignis instructs him on how to go faster, pointing at the fence. “They can easily clear the fences,” he explains. “Watch me and see if you feel comfortable trying, alright?”

Prompto nods and watches as Ignis gently urges the chocobo into a trot, heading directly for the fence, but instead of stopping or colliding, the chocobo leaps into the air with a flap of its wings and jumps right over the fence. He gasps in surprise, but watches Gladio trot past him and do the same. Biting his lip, he gently squeezes with his heels to go from a walk to a trot, crying out with excitement when the big bird leaps into the air.

For a moment, he feels like he’s flying. The ground falls away, they soar over the fence, and for a creature whose world had been the ocean, he could’ve been flying for all he knew. He bounces with the chocobo when they land and buries his face in his hands, crying as the emotion overcomes him faster than he can hide it.

The others rush to his side, concerned, but he looks at them with tears streaming down his cheeks as he tries to laugh. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammers. “I…I’m just so _happy_.”

Smiling, Gladio reaches and touches Prompto’s thigh, stroking softly. “You think you’re happy now,” he says. “Just wait until we get these birds out in the open.”

Hiccupping, Prompto wipes at his tears and looks at Gladio, then to Noctis, and lastly Ignis. “C-can we?”

“Just like Galdin Quay,” Noctis answers as he snaps a picture with a grin. “We’re here as long as you want, buddy.”

“I believe it’s best for now that we let Prompto grow accustomed to the chocobos first,” Ignis says, all eyes going to him. “We can stay at the caravan this evening and then tomorrow take our birds out into the wild. Any objections?”

“Sounds fair to me,” Prompto replies with a sniffle and a nod. “…I…I don’t want to rush it and get hurt or something. Then I’d ruin it.”

“A wise decision,” Ignis confirms with a warm smile.

True to his word, Prompto pays attention to their lessons and after a couple hours of practicing, the sun starts to set and his thighs are hurting. They’d stayed close to the ranch and return their birds to the pen, and although the girl smiles at Prompto, she quickly realizes he is not for grabs when he throws his arms around Noctis and hugs him tightly in gratitude.

“You kept your promise,” he whispers against the prince’s neck, feeling those arms return the embrace. “…I can’t thank you enough.” He pulls back and looks up at Ignis and Gladio, who watch with soft smiles. “All of you, I can’t…” He tries to stop himself from crying again, but he’s so emotional from his experience this afternoon that he can’t help himself.

“Come on,” Noctis says. “Iggy’s gonna cook us dinner over at the caravan.” He takes Prompto’s hand to lead him away, and Ignis follows but Gladio detours away at a sudden thought.

No one notices he’s gone. Ignis is busy cooking while Noctis shows Prompto all the pictures he’d taken, and despite how embarrassing some of them are, he assures Prompto they’ll print them and put them in a book if he wants.

By the time Gladio returns, Ignis has finished, but they all stop and stare at the multiple bags the big guy is carrying. “Happy belated birthday, Prom,” he jokes as he dumps the bags a little inelegantly on the table before he drops them.

Tons of chocobo paraphernalia tumble out, varying from keychains to stuffed animals to shirts, hats, and more. Gladio had gotten enough clothing apparel for each of them, but had bought one of everything in the gift shop for Prompto. He smiles, a warmth spreading through him at the side of how round those blue-violet eyes get, and Prompto is picking up and inspecting every item he can before he looks up at Gladio.

“Heh,” the big guy stammers as Prompto’s eyes fill with happy tears again. “Didn’t mean to make you cry, just thought this would make you happy.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Ignis sighs when he turns around and sees the mess on the table. He’s not mad at all, but that will take some time to clean up unless they eat elsewhere. “Use your _words_, Gladio.”

“Huh?” Prompto turns to look at the Adviser in confusion as Gladio flushes a deep shade of red and rubs the back of his neck.

Realizing not only has he embarrassed Gladio but felt a spark of jealousy, Ignis calms himself and walks over to pick up one of the stuffed chocobos that had fallen onto the ground. “I believe what Gladio is so ineloquently trying to show you is…” He flicks a gaze up at the big guy and smiles softly. “He loves you.”

Prompto blinks rapidly before he looks up at Gladio and then back at Ignis, who’s still hovering close. “…H-he does?”

Gladio clears his throat and Noctis snaps a picture with a grin. “Yeah, I do, chocobo.”

Prompto looks up at the taller man, smiling a little in what seems to be disbelief as he takes the stuffed chocobo from Ignis. “…A-and you?” he asks, meeting that sharp gaze.

“I do,” Ignis whispers as he steals a kiss and glances up at Gladio apologetically.

Prompto looks at the chocobo in his hands, mind racing and reeling as he tries not to get overwhelmed. The concept of loving more than one person had always been foreign to him when he’d first met Noctis and realized the prince had more than one mate. Merpeople loved of course, but mates were different.

…He’s getting off track.

Looking back up at Gladio, then Ignis, and lastly to Noctis, Prompto smiles and wipes his eyes. “…I love you guys, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is PROBABLY gonna be the last unless you guys want me to add them going to Insomnia. let me know because i can add that I want to but i just didn't want to drag this out <3)
> 
> please make sure to leave a comment :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompto has a nice wake-up call,  
CHOCOBOS.  
and then prompto has a close call.

The first thing Prompto wakes up thinking about the next morning is not, in fact, riding the chocobos.

It’s about how much his thighs fucking _hurt_.

He whines in the top tiny bunk bed that doesn’t allow room for anyone but him, and not only had it been hard to fall asleep alone, but now he’s _hurting_. He thinks, maybe, that he can transform into merform and perhaps avoid the pain or eradicate it altogether, but the caravan has no tub and he has no idea where the nearest body of water is. It’s far enough away, he knows, for it not to be the solution to his current problem.

He rubs his thighs and whines again, trying to decide if it’s worth bothering the others about because he isn’t sure what to do.

That is, until Gladio rises gracefully into view, far more so than his bulky frame would suggest, and when he meets Prompto’s eyes, his expression is sympathetic. Prompto hadn’t expected Gladio, of all people, to be the one to come to his aid, and he’s not even sure why, but when the big guy grabs him by the knees and swings his legs out over the edge of the bed, he doesn’t protest.

Before he can ask or say anything, Gladio jerks him even closer, Prompto’s legs now hanging over those broad tattooed and naked shoulders, and now the young merman doesn’t have to ask.

Those big hands slide from Prompto’s knees to his thighs, spreading them just a bit before fingers dig in and hands squeeze the muscles. Prompto lets out a cry of protest before it fades into a surprised and relieved _moan_. When he looks down, he finds amber eyes watching him and he leans back to get comfortable as one of Gladio’s hands lifts to the waistband of his boxers and a finger dips in.

Prompto loves the way those eyes watch him; so much so, that when his hands slide back along the bed a bit further and bumps against his camera – which he’d been looking through the night before – he snatches it up and levels it at Gladio. The big guy pauses and arches a brow, but doesn’t protest as he pulls Prompto’s length free, not even when the camera snaps as he takes the stiffening flesh into his mouth.

His eyes never leave Prompto. 

The merman continues taking pictures until he sinks completely into the warmth of Gladio’s mouth, dropping the camera to the side, forgotten, as eager fingers slip into ebony locks. Gladio returns his hand to Prompto’s other thigh, resuming his therapeutic massage as he confidently bobs his head and pleasures the younger man with his tongue and month.

Gladio’s grip on Prompto’s thighs is enough to make the blond grit his teeth, but in pleasured pain. He can feel the effect the massage is having on him in more ways than one, fingers tightening in Gladio’s hair as he moves to sit up as much as the small space will allow. He lets go with one hand to brace himself against the ceiling of the bunk, whimpering.

The sounds the big guy’s mouth is making are wet and filthy and loud enough to fill the silence of the caravan, leaving nothing to the imagination, but Prompto’s whimpered breathes only add to it. He crosses his ankles against Gladio’s back, anchoring himself as he rolls his hips with a slightly erratic rhythm, but he’s overwhelmed from the squeezes to his thighs and the sucking on his cock.

In between massaging Prompto and blowing him, Gladio lets out a surprised growl – which earns him a moan from the merman – when a hand suddenly slips into his boxers and pulls his aching cock free. He pulls back from Prompto, briefly, to see Noctis grinning up at him from the bunk below before he takes Gladio into his mouth in one go, boldly showing off his amped up deepthroat game.

Briefly distracted by the sight, Gladio growls again, wipes his drool-covered chin, and returns his attention back to a flustered, panting Prompto. He squeezes expertly with his hands before dipping his head and taking the younger man’s weeping cock back into his mouth, tongue digging into the slit and tasting the precum leaking.

Prompto cries out again and rolls his hips with _need_, biting his lip as the pleasure courses through him and overwhelms him. He whimpers when that tongue travels along the length of his dick, gasps when Gladio growls from the mouth pleasuring _him_.

It’s finally too much for the young blond when Gladio moves faster, hands squeezing in a way that makes the pain feel _good_. Prompto squirms and twists and tightens, the warmth pooling within him as his fingers clench before he comes with a cry that sounds far too loud in the early morning silence of the caravan. He shudders and thrusts, pushing deep into Gladio’s mouth without meaning too, but the big guy is willing and takes it all, watching as Prompto sags atop the bed, completely spent.

Swallowing, Gladio dots soft kisses along the merman’s thigh along with gentle squeezes, closing his eyes as he concentrates on Noctis pleasuring him below. He lets go of one of Prompto’s legs to reach down and grip the prince’s head hard, knowing full well Noctis likes it a little rough, and shallowly thrusting into that wet warmth with soft grunts of pleasure. He rests his head against Prompto’s thigh and smiles when he feels fingers run through his hair, petting him.

Smiling as well, Prompto listens and watches, his thighs a distant problem now, happy to enjoy the sounds of Noct’s mouth at work. His libido is already stirring again, but he tries to fight it, glancing over at his camera and picking it up to take another picture of Gladio’s blissful yet concentrated expression.

Just as his finger moves to snap the picture, the door to the caravan opens and Ignis steps in, coffees in hand for himself and Gladio. He stops short and the door bumps against his ass as his gaze falls upon naked Prompto with Gladio’s head on his thigh while Noctis blows him. Prompto doesn’t even blink, he just smiles and takes a picture, Ignis’s eyes narrowing.

But Noctis never stops – wet slurps resounding through the silence as he side-eyes the Adviser and smirks as much as he can with Gladio’s gigantic cock in his mouth.

Swallowing, Ignis steps in, sniffs, then sighs. “I leave you alone for _five minutes_…”

Prompto’s the first to laugh.

* * *

Blowjobs aside, showers and breakfast follow, and Prompto – although sore – can weather the soreness now, thanks to Gladio, and his excitement for day two of chocobo riding returns. He dons one of the shirts the big guy had purchased the day before but opts not to overdo it with the merchandise and leaves the hats and other accessories for another time. Noctis, however, joins him in wearing chocobo attire, donning a matching shirt and posing for pictures, but not before he nags Gladio and Ignis to do the same and they’re all wearing chocobo shirts and taking pictures.

They venture out of the caravan and pack their things up in the _Regalia_ and Armiger for later.

“The forecast for the day indicates bright, sunny, and warm,” Ignis announces as they make their way to the Chocobo pen across the ranch. “Ideal conditions.”

Prompto smiles wide, bouncing on his toes for a second and nearly wobbling when his lack of human balance comes back to haunt him. Noctis catches him, matching his smile before a thought occurs to him and he sobers.

“We might encounter monsters,” he says, glancing at Ignis and Prompto. “We’re venturing off the road for the first time with Prompto.”

It’s the first time they’ve mentioned it since the diner the other day – monsters, hunts, and Prompto’s inability to fight – and although the merman _knows_ none of them mean to imply he’s helpless, he feels the weight of being a burden start to grow. Especially when Ignis responds.

“Should we come across ones we cannot avoid, please warp with Prompto to safety and allow myself and Gladio to handle them.”

Prompto winces and looks away, his excitement starting to dull at the prospect of danger. He doesn’t want to brush this off as nothing, pretend it doesn’t bother him, or let it damper his day – none of those options help – but he doesn’t know what to say or do. His silence, however, is enough to alert his companions to what’s going on, and they come to a stop a few feet away from their destination.

“Prom?”

The blond looks up at Noctis’s soft inquiry and he tries to smile and respond, but words fail him and his shoulders slump.

Ignis’s eyebrows lift in realization and he clears his throat softly, before anyone can try to reassure Prompto or patronize him while trying. “Please forgive us, Prompto,” he says softly. “This was something we failed to consider before making the decision to venture out today.” He pauses. “Although we cannot resolve the problem today, teaching you to fight alongside us can start as soon as you would like. _If_ you would like, rather.”

Prompto shifts awkwardly on his feet with all three pairs of eyes on him, unsure of what the right decision is. He feels better, though, that no one had tried to placate or pity him, and that Ignis is offering him the chance to make the decision himself.

“If this were the ocean,” he begins hesitantly. “I’d know my answer in a heartbeat: of course. But…this is the land, and I only just got used to walking over the past week without falling on my face.” He laughs, a little nervously, earning a small smile from Noctis. “I’m worried saying yes will put you all at risk because I just…don’t have your instincts. I…I’m not _human_.”

Ignis and Gladio share a glance before Ignis nods from an unspoken conversation they seem to have had. Prompto’s brow furrows and even Noctis looks confused until the Adviser speaks again.

“I believe there is a solution,” he replies with a soft smile.

“…There is?” Prompto asks in reply, Ignis nodding.

“But let’s discuss it later.” Ignis reaches to touch the young merman’s shoulder, squeezing. “We should be able to at least make it to the haven without incident, and we can talk then about a plan, alright? We’re wasting daylight when we could be riding chocobos.”

Prompto perks up instantly, eyes darting to the pen and spotting his chocobo meandering by the fence as if waiting for him. He lets out a breath of surprise and nods to Ignis before darting over, remembering himself and calming down before he scares the chocobo away. It ‘_kweh’_s in greeting as he reaches to pet it, Noctis appearing at his side with greens to offer the bird.

Together, they ready their birds, Noctis being the one to show Prompto exactly what to do, and shortly after, they’re ready to depart. Prompto climbs on more confidently than yesterday and sits atop the bird, heart aflutter but free of tears this time. He looks around, forgetting the awkwardness the morning had brought, thinking instead about how the day had _actually_ started and smiling when he thinks about his thighs that are barely bothering him now.

Assured everyone is ready, Ignis nods to Prompto with a soft smile on his face before leading them to the fence and clearing over it. Eagerly, Prompto follows after, trying to remember everything they’d shown him yesterday, secretly wanting to become the best chocobo rider throughout the lands. The feeling of soaring through the air is still enough to give him pause and make him a little misty, but this time, they don’t stop where they land and goad their chocobos on, into the wilds.

The land is rocky and unsteady further away from the ranch, and only a short distance from where they’d spent yesterday practicing ends with rocky cliff-faces in a staggering fashion, but an amazing view. They come to a stop at Ignis’s direction and Prompto takes a breathless look at the sights in front of him. There are places to land below that will take them further out, but he wonders how they’re going to get back _up_ whenever they decide to come back.

His thoughts are broken when Noctis says his name and he looks up to find the others watching him. “We have to jump down,” the prince is saying. “Just let the chocobo do the work and hold on, okay? You’ll be fine.”

“Use those thighs,” Gladio adds with a grin and Prompto can’t help blushing as Noctis laughs.

Ignis sighs but he’s smiling as he leads them off the cliff with an elegant leap from his chocobo. Prompto watches with an open mouth as the brilliant white bird soars into the air, shedding feathers as it flaps its wings and gently floats down to the ground below. Gladio and Noctis follow suit and Prompto inhales deeply before goading his chocobo forward after them.

The feeling was indescribable.

At first, the similarity of just jumping over the fence versus the cliff was a little disappointing, but it didn’t end. The ground was still so far away, the wind rippled through his hair, and if he’d been brave enough to, Prompto would’ve let go of the reins to stretch out his hands. Halfway down, he lets out a squeal of pure excitement and the chocobo echoes the sentiment as they land softly beside the others.

“_Six_,” Prompto breathes, cheeks flushed as he looks at his friends. “LET’S DO THAT AGAIN.”

Gladio bellows out a laugh at the blond’s excitement, reaching to clap a hand on the younger man’s shoulder as Ignis and Noctis join in. They take a minute to collect themselves and then continue their descent, following Ignis’s guidance. It takes work and caution, but Prompto wants to climb back up and do it all again, he hadn’t really been joking about that.

But he knows that it’ll not only waste time, it will exhaust the birds, so he’s satisfied with nudging his chocobo into a run, letting out a whoop of excitement when he sees just how fast they can go. He bounces in his seat and expects a sore ass this time, but the thought of Gladio making _that_ better in the same fashion he had this morning gives Prompto a moment of desire amidst the ride.

Would it be wrong to…uh, _do_ it in the saddle?

He might have to find an answer sooner than he thinks.

* * *

As far as Prompto is concerned, this is the perfect day.

Riding chocobos, the fresh air, being with friends and lovers, what more could he ask for? Well, for starters, he wishes someone would turn down the temperature. Although warm sun is something he’s accustomed to, it’s mostly when he’s out in the ocean, surrounded by water and thoroughly moisturized and hydrated. But the higher today’s sun climbs, the hotter it gets, and Prompto can’t tell if it’s unseasonable or if he’s just not used to it. The others don’t seem bothered, so it’s probably just him.

He’s thirsty and his lips feel dry and he thinks maybe he _is_ dehydrated, but their supplies are stashed carefully in the Armiger, which he does not have access to.

They finally break around mid-morning. It’s not quite time for lunch, but they need a moment to stretch and walk out the kinks that come from bouncing in a chocobo saddle. Prompto climbs off the big bird and sways for a moment before he staggers over to a tree for shade from the accursed sun. He slumps down to the ground and sighs, grateful for the relief and ready for water.

In just a minute, he’s very tired.

While Ignis studies the map to track their progress, Gladio stretches, and Noctis wanders over to join Prompto under the tree, sitting beside the blond and smiling as he rests his head back against the trunk.

“As fun as you’d hoped?” the prince asks, surprised when he’s met with silence. He lifts his head to look at Prompto, eyebrow arched. “Prom?”

Prompto opens his eyes a little woozily, gazing at Noctis with flushed cheeks and an almost dazed expression. “Dude,” he murmurs. “Get me some water?”

“Y-yeah!” Noctis stammers out, reaching into the Armiger and digging out almost every bottle within for the merman.

Noticing the commotion, Ignis and Gladio hurry over together, but Prompto’s waving them off. “I’m f-fine,” he fails to assure them. “Just…the sun and the drier climate and my low tolerance for both. Sorry.” He drinks a little too fast from the bottle in his hand and Ignis kneels before him to slow him down so that he doesn’t make his dehydration worse.

“Don’t apologize,” Ignis says as he touches one of those flushed cheeks softly. “What can we do?”

“Just let me rest for a bit,” Prompto reassures, taking another drink. “Is the haven we’re going to near water?”

Ignis pulls out his map again to look at once more and nods with a soft smile. “There’s a fishing spot nearby,” he says with a glance to Noctis.

“Then as long as I get in there tonight, I’ll be good, my dudes.”

“You’re certain?”

Prompto nods and sips his water again. “I promise!”

Ignis isn’t fully convinced, but nods and rises back to his feet and walking away to study the map again.

Gladio gives Prompto a lingering stare of concern. “You know, I thought your ass was gonna be sore tonight and was gonna give you another massage,” he says. “…So, for your sake, you better not be lyin’ to us.”

Prompto nearly chokes on his water as Gladio grins and turns to follow Ignis, and even Noctis has to snicker before he looks back at Prompto, worry returning to his face.

“…Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I wouldn’t lie,” Prompto replies, serious. “I really did just get a little overheated. The sun is different on land than it is on the ocean. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“…Then why do you look so worried?”

Prompto looks back at Noctis, frowning at being called out. “…I keep thinking about going back to your home, and having stuff like this happen. I might need to go for a swim like I will tonight in order to really recover. Can I… Will that even be an option?”

“Oh…” Noctis says before his face splits into a grin, confusing Prompto. “Dude, you…” He laughs. “Our tub is fucking _huge_. I mean, we wanted something that would fit the three of us, so it’s gonna fit you, too. And even if it didn’t, we would make accommodations. We love you, we’re gonna take care of you.”

“I keep forgetting what that means,” Prompto admits sheepishly, relieved to hear that he has nothing to fear and embarrassed for thinking he had to worry. “Will you get tired of telling me and reassuring me?”

Noctis smiles and slips his arm around the merman, getting comfortable with him in the shade. “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope the end wasn't too...weird or abrupt. the chapter was getting too long and I didn't want it to drag on so i tried to find a place to end it so it wouldn't be drawn out. so hopefully...that's okay.
> 
> <3
> 
> thank you, as always, for all your support


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompto's all better.  
they decide to go home.  
but they make one last stop.

As he slips into the water of the fishing spot and transforms, a relieved sigh escapes Prompto’s lips before he dips underwater and relishes in the feeling. It’s a pond, and it reminds him of home, and although it makes him feel homesick for just a brief moment, the feeling leaves and he breaches the surface to meet Noctis’s worried expression.

“You’re gonna be okay?” the prince asks from the dock, biting his lip.

“Yeah!” Prompto assures, swimming over to Noctis as Gladio and Ignis join out of concern. “I told you, just needed to moisturize.” He laughs. “How else do you think my skin stays this pristine?”

Ignis smiles and kneels next to Noctis, taking a glove off so he could reach with one hand for the merman’s cheek. “Don’t give us a fright like that again, darling,” he chides, still smiling. “I’ll go and prepare dinner.”

“Call us if you need somethin’,” Gladio adds as he follows Ignis back to the haven, leaving Noctis and Prompto in silence.

“Dude, I promise I’m fine,” Prompto assures once they’re left alone, reaching with a webbed hand to cover Noct’s. “Why are you still so worried?”

Noctis thinks about it for a moment before he shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he replies. “I guess because I don’t know how to take care of you. It scares me.”

Feeling much better now that he’s in the water, Prompto tugs on Noctis’s hand gently. “You teach me and I’ll teach you?”

Glancing down at their hands, Noctis pulls away to tug off his clothes before letting Prompto help him into the water once he’s naked. He shivers at the cold but presses close to the merman, needing to get used to the temperature. He lets Prompto guide him into a kiss, and really, that’s all he wanted – nothing sexual or needy, just closeness and affection.

The longer he stays in the water, the better Prompto feels. The fatigue and warmth the day had brought him fades away as the water resuscitates him. He deepens the kiss, minding his fangs to taste Noctis and reassure him that he’s fine. He curls his clawed fingers carefully in the prince’s hair, gently scratching his scalp, hoping to relieve his worries and soothe him.

Noctis shivers at the touches and wraps his legs around Prompto’s scaled waist as they gently float away from the dock, still locked in a comforting kiss. And although he’s growing hard, he doesn’t seek release, just more kisses and touches and love.

They find their way back to the dock and Noctis bumps up against one of the wooden posts, gasping in surprise as Prompto giggles. The merman leans in again, kissing Noctis’s neck with a bit of hunger, hands sliding up the prince’s chest and along his arms, taking his hands and threading their fingers together before pinning them up against the dock above them.

Gasping again, Noctis squirms a bit, unable to help himself. Prompto was a master of this in the water and he couldn’t help where his thoughts were going. He wants to be bitten, wants to lose himself to that hunger, but a sudden throat clearing above them startles both prince and merman out of their reverie.

Looking up, Prompto sees Ignis standing over them, eyebrow arched. “Really, Noct? Before dinner? You’ll spoil your appetite.” He’s holding towels in one hand and squats down to place it by the pile of clothes belonging to his companions. “It’s about ready, if you two would like to join us?”

Noctis blushes as he looks at Prompto while the sound of Ignis’s receding footsteps along the dock grow more distant. He presses a final kiss to the merman’s blue-tinged lips and nuzzles him. “Thank you,” he whispers. “I needed that.”

“Love you,” Prompto whispers back.

After helping Noctis out of the water, Prompto quickly swims around the pond a couple of times to get it out of his system. The prince is still drying off by the time Prompto joins him, and together, they finish toweling themselves and get dressed again. The night air is a bit chilly, but Ignis and Gladio have a fire ready and waiting for them, along with some beef stew Ignis had cooked up.

Once again, Ignis had prepared a winner. Everyone is silent as they inhale the stew and Prompto tentatively asks for seconds after finishing his bowl before everyone else. Ignis’s eyes shine with approval as he nods and gestures to the pot.

Nearby, the chocobos ruffle their feathers and _kweh_ to each other, munching on the greens they’d been fed before settling down to rest. Prompto watches them while he works on his second bowl, his thoughts collecting after a rather eventful day. He once again finds himself drifting back to the future, what lay ahead for him and his new companions, his new friends, his new lovers.

As happy as he is to ride the chocobos he’d sought after for so long, he finds that he is finally ready to move forward. He knows that he could come back and do this anytime – ride the chocobos, that is – and he knows those coins he’d found would pay his way if he needed.

Even though he knows the others would come with him.

Finishing his bowl and taking a long drink of water for posterity, Prompto looks to the others and rises to his feet with a _slight_ wobble. “I, I want to say something,” he says, earning looks of surprise but no protests. “I know we’ve had these talks before, and we all know how we feel, but… I guess after today and looking at the chocobos and looking at you guys, I just…” He bites his lip and nods. “I’m ready to go home. With you.”

Uncertainty had brewed in the other’s expressions when Prompto had first stood up, but it vanishes as he speaks and tells them what he wants. Noctis sets his bowl down and launches himself at the merman, hugging him before he pulls back with an excited smile.

“Really?” he asks. “You’re ready?”

Prompto nods emphatically as Ignis and Gladio get to their feet, approaching with soft smiles as he looks to them.

“Just say when,” the Adviser informs, placing a hand on Prompto’s shoulder.

* * *

They go to bed that night cuddled in a tight bunch that Prompto can’t escape from even if he tried. Gladio’s got his arms firmly locked around him in a warm, almost too warm embrace, but it’s a different kind of heat than the sun that brought him the exhaustion earlier that day. Noctis is spooned up against him in front and Ignis has Noctis in his arms, facing him.

He laments, briefly, that they wouldn’t get the chance to look at the stars and fuck each other senseless – he doesn’t know why, he’d been wanting to since they’d left Galdin Quay, but he’s not out of opportunities. And there are probably ever better things ahead.

The following morning, they get ready to leave after breakfast and after Ignis watches Prompto drink two bottles of water, he equips him with him a third and insists he keeps drinking until they’re back at the ranch. Prompto isn’t offended, he’s touched by the other man’s concern, and takes his instructions to heart as they saddle up the chocobos and head back the way they came.

It’s a bit cooler today and Noctis pulls out one of the chocobo hats Gladio had bought, donning Prompto with it and naming him King of the Chocobos, to which Prompto happily accepted. He jokingly leads the group back to the ranch, as king of course, with Ignis softly giving him directions from behind so that he knew where they were going.

It takes them longer to reach the ranch going back than it did leaving, since they have to climb their way back up the cliffs, but Prompto gets to see firsthand how powerful the chocobos’ jumps are. He gasps at the first glorious leap into the air, holding on tightly as he watches the ground fall away and the sky grow closer. He realizes he’s not sure which is better – flying down or jumping up – they’re both so intense!

It’s almost bittersweet when they return to the ranch and bring their chocobos to the pen. He gets off his golden bird and looks up at her, reaching to pet it fondly as the others do the same.

“We can’t bring them with us?” he asks, just in case.

“I’m afraid not,” Ignis confirms, approaching him and petting the chocobo softly. “The city is no place for creatures like these, but we can come back anytime. You know that, mm?”

“Yeah, I just…” the merman trails off, feeling a bit silly now that he has to leave the birds behind. He tries to remind himself about what lays ahead for them, the city he has yet to see where his new home will be.

The fears creep back in – will he like it? Is it safe? What happens to his mer-self? What if…

Seeing the concern in Prompto’s eyes, Ignis reaches with a gloved hand and tips the young blond’s chin up, smiling down at him. “We can stay longer,” he reminds. “We don’t have to return to Insomnia quite yet. We can stay here one more night.”

It’s already afternoon, so they won’t get to Insomnia today, but Prompto had meant it when he’d said he was ready. He shakes his head and reaches to take Ignis’s hand into his own as the others look on. “No,” he says. “I’m ready.”

“Everythin’ already packed from when we left yesterday, and I just put the rest in, so we’re good to hit the road unless we get a bite to eat first,” Gladio announces once the moment has passed, approaching the two with Noctis trailing behind.

They leave the decision to Prompto, who decides they should eat one last meal before setting off home. And after a quick, but tasty, late lunch, they pile into the _Regalia_ and drive away. Prompto snaps a few pictures before they leave Wiz’s behind, and then he sags in the front seat, lost in thought about what lay ahead.

“Do we have to stop tonight?” Noctis whines from the backseat as they drive back to the main road. “I don’t think I can handle any more caravans knowing my bed is within reach. You know my back sucks. Let’s straight shoot it.”

Prompto looks back at the prince, cocking his head.

Seeing his confusion, Gladio grins and leans forward. “He means goin’ all the way without stoppin’,” he teases, grin widening as Prompto’s blush.

Ignis sighs and glances at Prompto before lifting his gaze to the rearview mirror. “Are we in a rush to get home?” he asks. “When we return, our vacation ends.”

Prompto frowns, looking to the Adviser. “What does that mean?”

“Back to work and shit,” Noctis pouts from the back, returning the frown at Ignis’s reminder. “Training and meetings and boring crap.”

“Noct…” Ignis chides with a frown of his own.

Still confused, Prompto looks to each of them. “…I-is going home a bad thing?”

“Nah, Noct’s just whinin’,” Gladio reassures, gripping Prompto’s shoulder and squeezing. “We won’t have as much free time to just laze about and do nothin’, but he’s makin’ it sound a lot worse than it is.”

“Dear me, we’re ruining Insomnia for Prompto before we even get there,” Ignis says with a shake of his head, letting go of the wheel to take one of the merman’s hands. “Things will change when we get home, but you won’t be left behind. And, as Gladio has already stated, our dear Noctis is making it sound far worse than it is. He abhors meetings.”

Prompto nods and smiles a little, trusting Ignis as he glances at Noctis, and then Gladio, whose hand is still on his shoulder. “Then, how about we stop one more time?” he suggests. “I know you might not want to camp, but…how about one more night under the stars?”

* * *

They stop at Hammerhead as the sun sets, and despite the threat of Daemons, they trek to a Haven not too far away and make it without incident. After setting up camp, Ignis cooks dinner, opting to make one of Noctis’s favorite dishes – grilled Barramundi – to placate his annoyance with camping. He’d agreed, but he’d been ready for his own bed, despite reservations about ending their vacation by returning home.

Prompto had enjoyed dinner – he ate fish too! – and had helped clean up, then cleared the space to drag their beds out of the tent while Gladio doused the fire and made more room. As the smoke clears and their eyes adjust to the darkness, the stars practically illuminate themselves in the sky above and Prompto’s heart catches in his throat.

Hearing Prompto, Noctis glances over at him and smiles at the child-like wonder in the other man’s eyes, taking his hand and looking up as well. They stand there for several minutes, just watching, observing, appreciating the beauty before Prompto dares to ask the question he’d been pondering since getting them to agree to one more night out here.

“…Um, can we…” he tries to ask, clearing his throat. “…Can we all, um…” He wiggles his hips and blushes before Gladio laughs beside him.

“Do it?” the big guy finishes and Prompto’s blush deepens but he manages a nod.

“Is that stupid?” Prompto asks as he looks at them. “I just want to be with all of you, out here. Together. It’s the one thing we haven’t done yet.” He bites his lip. “Then again, maybe we _should_ wait til we’re home, and we can do it all together there and make it.”

“Hey,” Noctis cuts in with a smile. “Who says we can’t do both?”

Smiling and relaxing, Prompto nods at the prince, blinking when Noctis leans in and kisses him without any further hesitation. Ignis and Gladio watch for a second, admiring the sight before Gladio tugs Ignis close with a grin and kisses him deeply.

The floor around them becomes decorated with pieces of clothing, one at a time, as Noctis pulls Prompto’s shirt off and Ignis’s hands hurry to undo Gladio’s belt. Prompto helps Noctis with the rest of his clothing, tugging him down onto the beds and pulling the prince in between his legs with a sudden need. He’s not sure why he’s suddenly so pent up, but he gazes past Noctis to the sky above and rolls his hips when he feels that warm body against his own.

Noctis kisses his way up Prompto’s pale, beautiful body, stopping along the way to tease one nipple, blowing air on it to make the merman gasp, then resuming his journey up freckled skin. He reaches those soft lips and trails his tongue along the bottom one before delving in and claiming Prompto for his own tonight. He feels the way Prompto’s hands explore and touch him, arching down into the sensation and giving a soft moan of approval when they tangle in his hair.

He lowers his hips against Prompto’s and ruts, feeling his arousal build and content to feel Prompto’s prodding against his thigh.

Beside them, Ignis and Gladio’s actions grow a bit more impassioned. Ignis nips at Gladio’s lips, runs his still-gloved nails down tattooed arms, then gasps with need when Gladio spins him around and pushes him down onto the stone floor. He glances to the sight and meets Prompto’s eyes in the dark, seeming worried for a second before Ignis smiles at him and reaches to touch those kiss-bruised lips, wordlessly shushing him.

Gladio’s already got the lube between them, both he and Noctis partaking of them to ready their partners. But a sudden, somewhat kinky thought occurs to Ignis and he stops them.

“Just a moment,” he breathes, glancing at their positions and thinking. He turns and crawls over Prompto, facing Noctis and meeting his gaze as he takes the merman’s dick into his mouth, a soft moan escaping both him and Prompto, who’s now got a faceful of Ignis cock above him, and he isn’t complaining.

Lifting onto his elbows, Prompto returns the favor and licks his way up the length of Ignis’s slightly-curved dick, and it takes Noctis and Gladio a full minute to reboot at the sight. Gladio scrambles to get behind Ignis, mindful of Prompto’s head as he finishes readying himself, lifting his gaze to a still-bewildered Noctis over the length of Ignis’s back.

But the longer they stare at each other, the more time they realize they’re wasting while Prompto and Ignis happily blow each other. Quickly, they finish prepping themselves and their partners, fingers slipping into willing holes and both Gladio and Noctis relish in the muffled moans that reach their ears.

Prompto wasn’t expecting _this_, but if he tilts his head, he can still see the stars pass the round curve of Ignis’s ass and Gladio’s monstrous cock. Content, he closes his eyes and focuses on indulging Ignis’s kinky side, rolling his hips into Noctis’s nimble fingers before they withdraw and something bigger presses at his entrance.

He pops off Ignis’s cock to concentrate on the sensation, spreading his legs as much as he can despite their positions and _finally_, Noctis pushes inside. Prompto’s contented cry of pleasure echoes in the night before he takes Ignis back into his mouth and Gladio slams inside the Adviser. The pleasured moan around his cock makes Prompto practically weep with pleasured joy, overwhelmed and overstimulated all over his body by the sensations both out and in.

At first, he has trouble moving with Ignis, given how hard Gladio is fucking him, and how much Ignis seems to like it by pushing back into those thrusts. But Prompto figures it out and finds the rhythm, which Ignis picks up and moves with and Noctis is the last to join. They all fall into sync as Gladio and Noctis thrust, Ignis and Prompto move with them, and then their mouths accommodate.

It’s a beautiful, hedonic tangle of limbs and movement. Moans and wet noises and sighs fill the night air, joining the wind and sounds of nature. Gladio and Noctis meet gazes, and although the length of Ignis’s body doesn’t allow them to kiss, they hold each other’s gazes and pleasure their lovers, thrilled by the way they watch each other.

And the beauty and intensity drive them all towards a fast release. Prompto writhes and moves in the rhythm as best as he can for as long as he can before his body starts to tremble. The warmth coils in his stomach, his nails dig into the padding of his sleeping bag beneath him and he whimpers around Ignis’s mouth, movements turning erratic.

“Come on, Prom,” Noctis gasps from atop and Ignis pets his thigh in silent reassurance.

It’s all Prompto needs to come, hard, clenching around Noctis as he spills into Ignis’s mouth, and that blinding tightness pulls Noctis’s release from him. He comes shortly after with a cry of his own, hips jerking and filling Prompto until he’s dry and sagging over him and Ignis, mind as blown as Prompto and Ignis’s cocks.

Gladio’s still going strong, but watching Noctis and knowing Ignis is cleaning up a spent Prompto with his tongue has the big guy’s hips pistoning hard. Prompto rides his orgasm for all its worth, popping off Ignis’s cock one last time to let his cries be heard, and then he takes the Adviser all in one go and swallows.

That’s enough to pull Ignis’s release from him. He draws back from Prompto’s softening cock, licking his lips and moaning as he’s overloaded with stimulation. He manages to glance over his shoulder and meet Gladio’s gaze as that final thrust hits home and he gasps out a choked cry, pushing back into that thrust and rolling his hips down into Prompto’s mouth, filling it with his release and shivering as he’s cleaned and swallowed around.

And then Gladio comes, and it’s the best feeling in the world to be filled with that cock and his seed. Ignis gasps out a contented moan, staying clenched as Prompto releases his cock, rolling his hips to milk Gladio’s and get every last drop.

They fall apart after that.

Ignis rolls to the side against Prompto, content to stay flipped as Noctis moves against the merman’s other side and cuddles him close, kissing him deeply to taste him and Ignis. Gladio falls behind Ignis and does the same, cupping the back of the fair-haired man’s head as they kiss and settle in the afterglow under the stars.

Maybe Prompto should’ve been born human, he wonders. Because this feels more natural than anything he’s done as a merman in so long – kinky and perverted, but natural. To be together, at the same time, and enjoy and pleasure each other.

He can’t wait to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really really really sorry I haven't been posting lately. I was feeling bummed about the lack of feedback I got on my [vampire AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21738661) (I would very much love if you went and checked the first chapter out?), which led me to just feeling shitty about my fics in general and I just lost my inspiration. I've been trying to work on my other fics for about a week now, and I just...can't find it. 
> 
> Dreamweaver is probably going to suffer the most until I find the inspiration again, so please please PLEASE be patient with me while I try to find my muse again. Apparently, she was horny enough to write an orgy, so maybe I can pull her out and make her cooperate with me on my other WIPs.
> 
> Also, please go consider checking out the [Sex Doll fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21931621) I wrote with @thwippersnapple! It's super hilarious and I promise you it's worth the read. <3 We're really proud of it. And considering how many fics she's helped inspire that I've written, it's gotta be gold if she helped write that one!! :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boys return home.

Morning brings the smell of breakfast to Prompto’s nose. Wiggling it as he smells the unmistakable scent of bacon, the merman opens his eyes and squirms once he realizes he’s sandwiched between Gladio and Noctis. He tries to wriggle free as sneakily as he can, but tattooed arms tighten around him, earning a squeak of surprise from the blond.

“Where you goin’?

Prompto squirms again with a pout. “Iggy’s cooking bacon.”

“And you think you’re gonna get there first?”

Prompto vibrates with Gladio’s laugh before he’s turned in the big man’s arms and squished into a kiss. He smiles, feeling apprehensions of the day’s future events fade as he looks up into amber eyes, then past them to the brightening sky above.

They’d slept under the stars, just like he’d wanted, and with Gladio as a furnace behind him, it had been impossible to get cold since they'd all slept in the nude.

“Gladio, do stop torturing the poor thing,” Ignis’s voice calls from out of sight before Prompto spots him out of the corner of his eye with plates in hand. “Better we all eat and get on the road before long, mm?”

By now, Noctis is stirring, but instead of looking for the source of that glorious bacon smell, he pulls the blankets up over his head and hides in his sleeping bag. Ignis sighs at the sight and shakes his head before turning to set the plates down.

Prompto and Gladio both sit up and watch as the Advisor kneels beside Noctis, lifts the blankets and sticks his head beneath. There’s a moment of soft murmurs, Noctis squirms, whines, and then the unmistakable sound of kissing floats out from under the covers.

A moment later, Ignis pulls back with a soft smirk as he tugs down the blanket to reveal a flustered prince. “Now, if you all would be so kind as to dress yourselves for breakfast?”

Gladio laughs and rises, bared for the world to see, but Prompto’s lifting an eyebrow and staring at Noctis, eager to know what was said under those blankets. But Noctis remains tight-lipped, a permanent blush on his cheeks as he scrambles to get dressed. Prompto follows, wobbles only once, but eventually gives up trying to find out what Ignis said.

Breakfast goes by a bit too fast for Prompto. Each time his apprehensions faded, they’d be replaced with a reminder that a permanent decision was being made that day. True, he could always decide to go home if he really wants, but he knows he won’t. Still, it’s almost like marriage. He’d pledged his life to these three men and he’s still trying to come to terms with what that meant. He gets quiet as they eat and even Noctis has to nudge him and make sure nothing is wrong.

The others share a look after Prompto fails to assure them he’s fine, and Ignis’s voice of reason breaks through the gloom once more, once again assuring Prompto there is no pressure here. The merman meets those brilliant green eyes across the way and feels his fears ease.

He just wants the anxiety to stop, but maybe that’s what Ignis and the others are there to help him with. When he can’t do it himself.

By the time they finish eating, he’s back in high spirits and helping clean and pack up their things. Not using the tents last night end up making packing a breeze and within thirty minutes, they’re hiking back to Hammerhead to the _Regalia_. Cindy, whom Prompto had only briefly met yesterday, assures them the car is in tip-top shape and sees them off.

She looks even prettier in the morning sun, and he manages to ask her for a picture before they go. She obliges and then takes one of the four of them, waving them off once they all climb into the _Regalia_ and drive away.

Prompto fidgets in the front seat – wondering what Lucis is like, wondering if he’ll like it, wondering if it’ll be hard to get used to – and with the scenery between Hammerhead and Lucis being dull and not much for taking pictures of, he starts to get impatient. It isn’t until a hand finds one of his and squeezes that Prompto looks at Ignis in surprise.

The Advisor only smiles at him before returning his attention to the road and that’s enough for Prompto. He glances back over his shoulder to find Noctis sleeping and Gladio reading, and he trusts, once again, that everything will work out fine.

* * *

They reach Lucis just before noon. Prompto can already see the bustling city protected by a shimmering wall miles before they come within sight of the bridge. He gapes at the sight of the massive construct, something unlike anything he’s ever seen before and he whips out his camera to start taking pictures as they begin the drive across.

Gladio wakes Noctis as they reach the halfway point, and the prince turns his attention to Prompto as they reach the gates. They’re waved through once the guards recognize the _Regalia_, but they all eye the newcomer in the car with raised brows.

Prompto blushes and lowers his camera awkwardly, glancing at Ignis as if he should be worried. The Advisor just shakes his head with a soft smile and drives them deeper into the city. Prompto becomes nothing but wide eyes and open-mouthed at that point, almost failing to take pictures because there’s _so much to see_. Just as he lifts his camera and looks around, a big hand claps his shoulder and Gladio leans in close.

“Don’t worry, chocobo, you’ll get to see it all if ya want.”

Prompto snags a selfie of them in response.

Lifting the roof of the car as they progress deeper into the city, Ignis heads towards the Citadel first. Announcing their return and the introduction of Prompto is something he feels is more important than making sure the merman likes their apartment. They can’t exactly sneak him in to stay without the king being aware – approval notwithstanding. 

When the Citadel comes within sight and Ignis slows the _Regalia_ to park in front, Prompto nearly presses his face against the glass in shock. “You guys _live here_?”

Gladio laughs from the backseat as Prompto turns and looks at Noctis, who’s blushing and it takes the merman a second to realize that he’s embarrassed.

“Not exactly, darling,” Ignis clarifies, drawing Prompto’s gaze to him. “The royal family resides here, well, King Regis does – Noctis lives off-site now. We are here to see His Majesty. An introduction is in order, but we must also inform him that we have returned.”

Prompto glances back at Noctis once more, still star-struck by the building and everything else he’s seen thus far. He gets out of the _Regalia_ with the others, but goes to Noctis’s side as if to assure the prince that there’s nothing to worry about. He looks at the impossibly tall structure before them emanating a glow he doesn’t quite understand, and then back at Noctis, nodding.

Noctis studies the merman at his side for a moment and then slowly unclenches, returning the smile and stealing a kiss before beginning the trek up the grand stairs. They’re allowed entrance upon sight, but one of the guards stops them when he doesn’t recognize Prompto. The blond shies against the prince, who glares at the guard while Ignis assures him that Prompto is a friend.

After passing through, Noctis fusses the whole way to the throne room, griping about the guard stopping someone who’s _with the prince himself_ while Ignis assures him that the guard was only doing his duty. Gladio sides with Noctis, however, griping as well that he’s Noctis’s Shield – who better to protect the prince?

Ignis fights a losing battle as they reach the throne room and are announced to the king. Prompto finds his stomach in a sudden tangle of knots, tripping over his booted feet as he nervously lets go of Noctis’s hand. Should he be holding it in front of the _king_?

His eyes are all over the place – from the tall walls, to the ascending, curving dais leading all the way up to the throne, to the windows spilling daylight across the steps. Prompto finally, almost reluctantly, brings his gaze to the king, who’s seated in his throne with another man – tall, broad-shouldered, and bald – at his side. It takes him a moment to see the resemblance between the king and Noctis – for starters, the magnificent silver hair doesn’t help. But it’s something about his eyes that gives Prompto pause.

Regis seems stern, but kind, almost mischievous. He grips a cane in one hand and Prompto spots the brace on his knee, but he’s more impressed with the raiment and cape. Truth be told, merpeople could be boring – they didn’t wear neat human clothes!

“Your Majesty,” Ignis begins with a respectful bow that they all – even Prompto – echo. “We have returned from our trip with good tidings and a new friend. Baring no issues, we would like him to accompany us going forward. Apartment included.”

The king’s intense eyes fall upon the merman, who squeaks and bows his head respectfully. “Your name?”

Prompto looks up, stunned into silence until Noctis elbows him and he squeaks again. “Prompto, sir.”

There’s a silence that follows and Prompto thinks the king will say no. Why shouldn’t he? He’s a stranger, he’s not human, he’s definitely a threat to the prince on a physical level – he could’ve killed Noctis with the venom, and should Regis ever find out his son was poisoned… He shifts uncomfortably, ready to bolt until a hand finds his and he looks at Noctis in surprise. In front of the king?

Then there’s a hand on his shoulder and he looks up at Gladio. He feels Ignis looking at him and glances his way before there’s a chuckle from the throne. They all look up in surprise as Regis rises from his seat and carefully makes his way down the steps with his silent – oh, he’s not bald, his head is shaved – companion following behind him.

“You asked for this trip and I allowed it,” Regis says as he crosses the floor to meet them. “We all knew you were searching for something, something to fix what was broken.” His eyes fall on Prompto, who bites his lip and shifts a little nervously. “You seem to have found it.”

At those words, Prompto looks back up in surprise and he sees a twinkle in those dark eyes.

“You have my gratitude, dear Prompto,” Regis continues as he reaches to place a hand on the shoulder not currently occupied by Gladio. “You have brought my son peace. I have no qualms about your staying with him and his companions. I trust their judgement.”

After a brief celebratory hug, Noctis turns to lead his friends out of the throne room and back to the car, ready to show Prompto the apartment, but Regis holds Ignis up with one last question. Prompto’s ears prick curiously, but when Ignis joins them and walks with them away from the king, he doesn’t say anything.

“Just business talk,” he assures Prompto before the merman pouts and puts his hands on his hips.

“What’s the Crownsguard, Iggy? And why does he want to know if I’m joining?”

* * *

The discussion is dropped at Ignis’s insistence and they all pile back into the _Regalia_ in order to head to their real destination – their home. The nerves return to Prompto’s stomach as he eyes each approaching building, wondering if that’s the one they’ll be stopping at. 

When they finally do stop, the building is tall, but not massive. Prompto climbs out of the _Regalia_ and looks up at it curiously, tilting his head as he tries to imagine what this new place will be like. He can’t, really. His exposure to human habitats is limited strictly to this trip – and all he’s seen are those things they call hotels and caravans and…havens? But he knows this place is not the same as the Citadel. Yet he doesn’t feel anything resonating from it that he could call _home_.

A hand takes his once again and Prompto looks over at Noctis, who’s watching him warily.

“You okay?” the prince asks and Prompto offers a smile and a nod.

“Just…hoping this place will feel like home,” he admits.

“Don’t judge it from the outside,” Gladio offers as he comes up behind them, glancing up at the building. “Most of these places look the same. It’s the inside that counts.”

It’s a deeper sentiment than he’d meant it to be, but before Gladio can preen, Ignis scoffs. “No, you most certainly _do not_ get credit for that.”

Prompto giggles as they follow Ignis inside the main doors before they stop at another closed set. He watches as the Advisor presses a button, which lights up but nothing happens. A minute later, the doors open of their own accord and Prompto jumps in surprise, flushing with embarrassment once he realizes they’re supposed to do that.

He’s confused by the small room they’re greeted with, blinking when they all step inside and the doors shut them in. “Uh…” he starts to say before Ignis presses a numbered button and Prompto feels the room move. He yelps and clutches Noctis, who can’t help laughing, before the prince softly explains the elevator.

“Merpeople don’t need elevators,” Prompto huffs softly as Noctis steals a soft kiss to his still-blushing cheek.

After a short wait, the doors open to reveal a hallway filled with doors. Prompto blinks in surprise, thinking this is their home, but Ignis leads them down the hall and it occurs to Prompto that this place is sort of like the hotel they were at, but with fewer doors. He opens his mouth to ask, but Noctis beats him to it.

“We got something for you,” he says as they stop before a door at the end of the hall, catching Prompto off guard. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

The merman looks to each of his companions before he does as he’s told. He feels something feathery and metal settle in his palm and when he opens his eyes, he sees the chocobo lure that Noctis had caught him with – except it’s no longer a lure, but a keychain, attached to a key. He looks up in confusion as Noctis smiles.

“We made you a key to the apartment,” the prince explains softly, biting his lip in uncertainty over whether or not Prompto liked it.

Prompto looks back down at the lure, memories of that day coming back before realizing the implication of the key itself. This was all _real_. He closes his hand around the key and chain before throwing himself at the prince, hugging him tight.

“Oh, Noct... I love it.”

“Try it out,” Gladio suggests and Prompto pulls back to do just that. He’s relieved he knows how keys work at least, and slips his into the hole, turning it with excitement when it works. He pushes open the door and gasps softly.

A familiar smell washes over him as he steps inside, and he recognizes it right away as _theirs_. The open space of the apartment greets him like family as he takes in the side of the windows lining the wall, exposing the city with a direct line of sight to the Citadel. He notes the couch, comfortable enough to fit them all, the kitchen – expansive enough for Ignis, of course, and the hallway leading beyond.

Noctis takes his hand and tugs him eagerly down the hall – there are three bedrooms, one for each of them – but they usually share Gladio’s with the biggest bed. But the most important room of all is the bathroom, which Noctis is all too excited to show Prompto. He all but throws the door open – much to Ignis’s chagrin – and reveals the large Jacuzzi-style tub within.

Prompto gapes and realizes right away why Noctis had been so certain he’d be fine – that tub was big enough for him in merform! Sure, he couldn’t swim in it, but he could easily recuperate in there if ever he needed.

Assured without a doubt that this is the place to be, Prompto looks at the key in his hand and then to the others, tears in his eyes, relief in his expression. He’d been so scared, but they’d thought of everything. And he starts to realize, that if something were to come up that they hadn’t thought of beforehand, they’d solve it – they’d figure it out.

He realizes how foolish he’d been for ever thinking he’d be happier back in his cove, alone.

“So, what do ya think?” Gladio asks from behind and Prompto turns to see both him and Ignis standing in the doorway.

“You guys were right,” Prompto says as Noctis slips an arm around his waist. “It’s perfect. For all of us.”

* * *

It’s a busy evening for the merman. After helping unpack the _Regalia¸_ which wasn’t too bad considering how most of their things were in the Armiger, he’s inundated by all the things Noctis wants to show him. Video games, the internet, his closet – and then the prince realizes he can show Prompto the arcade in town, pizza, the park, even the aquarium!

But Prompto is still looking at the keychain, touching the lure, thinking back to only weeks ago when things like this chocobo lure was his world. He touches his lip, still just a _little_ tender before he looks up to find Noctis watching him.

“I thought…you know, it’d be a nice way to keep it around,” he tries to explain, gesturing to the keychain. “…It’s how we met.”

Prompto sits up and steals a kiss, nodding. “I love it,” he insists. “I really do.” He fights the tears threatening to well up and nestles himself against Noctis instead, face pressed to the prince’s neck. “I love you.”

Noctis holds the merman against him, nodding in agreement. “I love you, too.”

They sit there for a moment before Prompto thinks back to the Citadel. “Noct, what’s the Crownsguard?” He feels the prince stiffen and looks up in concern, but Noctis looks disappointed.

“…They protect the royal family,” he explains, glancing down at Prompto. “I think my dad expects you to join.”

“…Okay,” Prompto replies with a shrug, causing Noctis to blink in confusion.

“…What?”

“I’ll join,” the blond clarifies.

“But—”

“—I know, I don’t know how to fight, but Gladio and Ignis can teach me, right? You too?” Prompto sits up and nods again. “If being a Crownsguard means protecting you with my life, I’d be an idiot not to.”

Noctis sits speechless for what feels like forever before he tugs Prompto into his arms and kisses him, and while they’re lip-locked and groping for clothes to pull off, Prompto realizes with sudden clarity that he’s found his purpose.

That he won’t be useless.

That he won’t ever miss his cove.

He will get to spend the rest of his days with the people he loved, protecting the people he loved.

And with everything Noctis promises to show him, what more could he ask for?

-fin-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my deepest apologies for taking so long to finish. i've been dealing with some health issues that put me in a really deep slump and honestly, a lot of my fics weren't getting the love i was putting into them, so with everything combined, i just said "Fuck it" and stopped writing.
> 
> things are kind of better, but i'm a lot busier now - so i'm going to try and get the fics pending finished before i lose all free time. i have a lot of cross-stitch commissions right now, so don't expect a flood of updated chapters.
> 
> all i can say is thank you for sticking, please comment if you read (i'm really nervous this chapter is as corny as it feels :/ ), and following me on twitter or tumblr if you want to know how things are going when I don't update here...
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't forget to leave kudos and comments, it really helps keep me going <3
> 
> -
> 
> THWIPPERSNAPPLE FINISHED THE ART THAT HELPED INSPIRE THIS FIC. GO LOOK AT IT [HERE.](https://thwippersnapple.tumblr.com/post/187949050787/merprompto-unable-to-resist-the-chocobo-lure)
> 
> \--
> 
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